ELVIRA  HOPKINS  OF 

IS  CORNERS 


BYIZORA  CHANDLER 


V 


ELVIRA  HOPKINS  OF 

TOMPKIN'S  CORNER 


IZORA  CHANDLER 

Author  of"  Three  of  Us,"  "  Anthe,"  "  A  Dog  of 
Constantinople,"  Etc.,  Etc. 


NEW  YORK 

WILBUR    B.    KETCHAM 

7  AND  9  WEST  EIGHTEENTH  ST. 


COPYRIGHT,  1899, 
BY  WILBUR  B.  KETCHAM. 


LOVINGLY  INSCRIBED 

TO  THE 
DEAR    "  BONNIE    LADDIE," 

WHOSE 

PERSISTENT  AND   UNWAVERING  FAITH 
IN    MY  ABILITY  TO  DO, 

HAS   MADE 

MANY  THINGS   POSSIBLE   UNTO   ME. 
"  MILLIE." 


2229170 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.  Aunt  Elvira's  Reasons  for  Writing 7 

II.  After  Acknowledging  the  Receipt  of  a  Note  from 
the  Publisher  she  begins  to  Discuss  Church 
and  Society  Relations 14 

III.  That  Call  from  Mrs.  Judge  Bawcom 19 

IV.  She  Argues  the  Case,  somewhat,  of  the  Church, 

for  the  Young,  as  well  as  the  Young  for  the 

Church 30 

V.  She  begins  to  try  to  Live  out  some  of  the  Re- 
sults of  her  Pondering 39 

VI.  She  Quotes  from  a  Sermon  Preached  by  Ellen 

Maria's  Husband 49 

VII.  In  which  she  Relates    some   of  Martha  Ann's 

Sayings 57 

VIII.  In  which  she  tells  of  her  first  Visit  to  an  An- 
nual Conference,  and  an  Interview  with  the 

Bishop 67 

IX.  Aunt  Elvira  Ponders  onto  the  Division  Existing 
between  the  Young  and  the  Old  in  their 

Spiritual  Life  at  Tompkins  Corners 82 

X.  She  is  of  the  Opinion  that  Christians,  taking 
them  as  they  Run,  are  about  as  Touchy  as 
Musicians  ever  thought  of  Being 92 

5 


Contents. 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XI.  Martha  Ann  shows  her  Affection  in  a  Peculiar 
Manner,  and,  afterwards,  expatiates  upon 
the  Liability  of  Mankind  to  Misunderstand 

Each  Other 106 

XII.  Aunt  Elvira  has  heard  some  Criticism  of  Sun- 
day School  Music  and  Writes  Concerning 
the  Singing  at  the  Tompkins  Corners  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church 118 

XIII.  She  is  a  Methodist— Heart,  Soul,  and  Pocket- 

book — and,  in  her  Love  for  the  Church,  she 
is  troubled  at  some  of  its  Methods  in  Re- 
vival Meetings 121 

XIV.  Martha  Ann  Speaks  her  Mind 130 

XV.  Aunt  Elvira  thinks    the   Church  is  Taking  too 

much  upon  its  Shoulders  and  Accomplishing 

too  Little 1 40 

XVI.  She  finds  a  New  Plan  for  Adding  to  the  Church 

Which  is  Acted  Upon  with  Certain  Results.   155 

XVII.  Martha  Ann  gives  her  Opinion  as  to  the  Value 

of  some  Prayers 168 

XVIII.  Martha  Ann  Expresses  Some  pretty  lively  Con- 
victions Concerning  the  Renting  of  Pews. 
She  Wonders  as  to  the  Real  Ownership  of 
the  Lord's  House,  and  Suggests  "  The 
Church  of  the  Pew-Holder  "  as  an  Approp- 
riate Name  for  some  Places  of  Worship. ...  179 


ELVIRA  HOPKINS  OF 

TOMPKIN'S  CORNER 


CHAPTER  I 

Her  Reasons 
for  Writing 

/TVHB  more  I  ponder  onto  it,  the  more 
curioser  it  'pears  that  there  was  ever 
a  time  when  I  thought  I  could  get  along 
without  having  no  religion.  But  I  did ; 
and  mighty  poor  getting  along  it  was, 
too. 

The  change  come  'round  'long  of  my 
favorite  niece,  Bllen  Maria's,  going  and 
marrying  herself  to  that  young  minister, 
John  Wesley  Gray,  and  then,  with  her 
sweet  voice — so  like  to  her  dear  mother's — 

7 


8  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

'a-getting  of  my  old  heart  all  mellered  up, 
till  I  was  willing  to  go  anywhere  and  do 
anything  that  her  and  her  Saviour  wanted 
me  to. 

I'm  almost  ashamed  to  say  it,  but  I'd 
allers  thought  myself  'bout  as  good  as 
most  Christians,  and,  mebbe,  a  leetle 
better'n  the  generality  of  'em.  But  my 
Bllen  Maria, — well,  if  she'd  met  St.  Peter, 
and  a-looked  into  his  face  with  them 
innocent  eyes  of  hern,  and  had  talked  to 
him,  gentle-like,  he'd  never  a-turned 
ag'in  his  Lord  on  that  black  night. 

So,  it  'pears  to  me  that  religion  'dorter 
be  wrote  up  by  somebody  what  don't  set 
up  to  be  a  critic ;  but  who'll  jest  say — 
plain  and  frank — what  she  thinks  about 
the  hull  subject.  Somebody  who — havin' 
got  along  without  it,  and  then,  having 
got  to  be  interested  into  it'  heart,  soul  and 
pocket-book — will  tell  of  the  good  things 
with  a  sort  of  humble  satersf action,  and 
who'll  touch  onto  the  faults  of  them  what 
perf esses  it  in  a  lovin'  sort  of  way — jest  as 


Tompkin's  Corner.  9 

I'd  a  done  to  my  children,  if  I  hadn't 
a-been  simply  a  maiden  woman  with  noth- 
ing to  do  about  children  'cept  to  tell  other 
folks  what  d'orter  be  done  with  theirn. 

I've  been  pondering  onto  this  subject 
ever  sence  I  had  that  long  talk  with  Bllen 
Maria.  There  was  siveral  reasons  why  I 
begun  pondering  immediate.  One  of  'em 
was,  that  as  soon  as  it  'come  to  be  noised 
'round  that  I  was  getting  to  be  serious 
inclined — why  !  I  can't  begin  to  tell  you 
how  many  folks  got  interested  into  my 
spiritual  well-bein'  at  once. 

The  whole  Presbyterian  Church — 's 
you  might  say — called  onto  me ;  from 
the  president  of  the  sewing-circle  clean 
on  down  through  to  the  parson,  hisself. 
Some  said  one  thing  :  some  said  another  : 
but  they  was  all  interested. 

A  few  Baptists  begun  to  feel  an  interest 
in  me,  likewise  some  Lutherans  and 
Kpiscopals  and  Congregationals.  It  was 
really  extraordinary  how  much  interest 
was  woke  up  into  the  hull  of  Tompkin's 


10  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Corners  jest  because  of  my  going  to 
prayer-meeting  'long  of  Ellen  Maria  after 
we'd  had  our  leetle  talk. 

If  I  hadn't  a-looked  after  my  own  affairs 
and  made  up  my  mind  for  myself  for 
years,  I  might  a-got  so  sot  up  as  to 
a-turned  away  from  the  church  what  took 
an  interest  into  me  when  I  was  most 
needing  it,  and  I  might  a-joined  myself 
onto  one  what  only  got  scairt  about  me 
when  the  danger  was  over. 

Ellen  Maria  didn't  take  on.  She  only 
said :  "  Go  just  where  you  want  to  go, 
auntie,  I  know  you'll  be  a  Christian  in 
any  communion.  I'd  like  to  have  you 
come  with  us  because  we  need  such  as 
you,  but  I  don't  want  to  influence  you." 

She  said  a  few  other  things  in  the  same 
quiet  way.  I'm  proud  of  her.  She's  a 
college  graduate;  but  she  talks  just  as 
simple  and  plain  as  I  do,  only  she  talks 
more  correcter  and  a  great  deal  sweeter 
and  sunnier. 

I  began  to  look,  kinder  on  the  sly,  into 


Tompkin's  Corner.  11 

John  Wesley  Gray's  books  and  papers. 
And  the  more  I  looked,  the  more  interest- 
eder  I  got.  Sometimes  my  eyes  was  so 
misty  that  wiping  my  spectacles  didn't 
help  at  all.  And  swallowing  didn't  keep 
my  heart  down  out  of  my  throat  as  I  went 
on  a-reading  of  the  brave  men  and  women 
who  planted  the  Church  away  out  onto 
the  borders. 

Pretty  soon  I  made  my  mind  up,  square 
and  honest,  that  if  I,  who'd  never  done 
anything  toward  helping  poor,  suffering 
hearts  to  Jesus,  could  be  took  into  a 
church  with  such  a  history,  I'd  better 
get  in,  immediate,  and  begin  work. 

Well,  I  done  so,  and  I  hain't  sorry. 
And,  'cause,  mebbe,  some  other  folks  may 
be  going  through  the  same  experience, 
and,  from  having  led  a  more  sheltered  life, 
they  mayn't  have  such  a  russet  and 
gnurly  will  as  I  who  have  fought  my 
own  battle  for  so  many  lonely  years,  I'm 
a-going  to  write  it  all  out  into  a  book — 
j  ust  as  far  as  in  me  lies. 


12  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

As  much  as  Ellen  Maria  and  John 
Wesley  thinks  of  my  judgment  onto 
other  matters,  I'm  sure  they'd  be  wor- 
ritted  to  death  if  they  knew  what  I  was 
a-undertaking.  They'd  want  to  polish  up 
my  grammar  till  I  wouldn't  know  what  I 
was  a-talking  'bout.  Or,  they  might 
want  to  suggest  a  few  particulars  or  kiver 
up  some  of  the  faults  I  shall  tell  of — and 
tell  of  just  because  I  have  got  to  love  the 
Church  by  being  interested  into  it  heart, 
soul,  and  pocket-book,  so  much  that  I 
want  to  see  it  lift  its  beautiful  white 
wings  like  a  dove  and  fly  up  into  clear 
air. 

I  want  it  to  be  so  sweet  and  joyful  that 
folks  who  hain't  never  paid  no  'tention, 
will  turn  to  look  and  to  listen  and  after 
a-hearing  of  its  gentle  voice,  they'll  say : 
"  Tears  like  'twould  be  sweet  and  com- 
fortable-like to  one's  heart  in  there,  and 
the  hard  things  into  my  life  would  kinder 
get  nielleredup  by  such  company  ;  and  the 
wickedness  what  has  got  into  my  life 


Tompkin's  Corner.  13 

could  be  dropped  out  of   it  if  I  was    to 
begin  praying  about  it." 

I  ain't  no  poet,  and  I  ain't  no  picture* 
painter ;  but  that's  a  describing  of  what 
I  want  my  Church  to  be,  and  of  what 
I,  mostly,  think  it  is.  And  I've  been 
a-pondering  onto  the  matter  for  quite  a 
spell. 


CHAPTER  II 

After  Acknowledging  tlie  Re- 
ceipt of  a  Note  from  the 
Publisher,  she  Begins  to 
Discuss  Church  and  Society 
Relations 

T  COMB  nigh  onto  stopping  this  book 
straight  from  the  mark.  Melviny 
Mellings — she's  the  literary  woman  of 
Tompkin's  Corners,  and  I  thought  I'd 
talk  the  matter  over  with  her  on  the  sly, 
— she  said  that  it  was  a  powerful  under- 
taking for  a  middle-age  maiden  woman 
what  hain't  never  traveled  outside  of  her 
own  county,  and  who  finished  her  educa- 
tion into  a  yellow  schoolhouse  on  the 
ridge. 

Melviny  hain't  been  more'n  fifty  mile 


Tompkin's  Corner.  15 

over  the  county  line  herself,  and  she 
didn't  go  there  but  once.  And  she  only 
got  two  quarters  at  a  seleck  school.  But 
she's  real  peart,  Melviny  is,  and  she 
reads  heaps  of  books  and  writes  poetry 
and  things  like  that. 

She  told  me  all  about  book  printers  and 
their  carryings  on.  She  said  that  nothing 
ever  made  a  real  first-class  publisher  so 
mad  as  to  get  a  roll  of  mannyscrip'  what 
showed,  plain  and  earnest,  that  the  writer 
of  it  was  a  genus.  She  showed  me  the 
letter  that  one  of  them  wrote  to  her  once, 
and  I  must  say  that  it  did  seem  to  be  a 
little  sassy. 

You  see,  she'd  been  sending  him  manny- 
scrip' after  mannyscrip',  any  one  of  which 
would  a  made  his  fortune  and  hern  in  no 
time.  And,  after  a-keeping  of  'em  for 
two  or  three  months,  he  just  kept  right 
on  a  not  printing  of  'em  but  just  a-send- 
ing  of  'em  back,  with  a  little  letter  stat- 
ing his  thanks  for  the  privilege  of  read- 
ing of  'em  and  such  like  nonsense. 


16  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Well,  after  several  years,  Melviny 
naturally  got  a  little  riled,  and  sot  down 
and  wrote  him  a  letter  asking  what  he 
meant  by  such  conduck.  And  she  hinted 
in  pretty  plain  English,  that  it  might  be 
possible  that  he  was  a-making  of  his  for- 
tune by  having  her  writings  printed,  'way 
in  Rooshy  or  Sibery,  over  his  own  signa- 
ture. 

She  believes  that  she  hit  the  truth  or 
he  wouldn't  a-been  so  imperdent  in  his 
answering.  But  he  didn't  make  anything 
by  it,  because  she  stopped  a-sending  of 
her  writings  to  him  immediate. 

So,  I  begun  to  think  of  Melviny's 
experience,  and  I  must  confess  that  the 
thoughts  was  far  from  comforting.  If 
Melviny  couldn't  get  her  things  made  up 
into  books,  when  she'd  wrote  poetry  for 
the  Tompkin's  Corner  News,  what  would 
become  of  mine  ?  Most  any  book-maker 
might  think  he  had  a  right  to  set  up  and 
say  what  he  wanted  to  print  and  what  he 
didn't  want  to. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  17 

But,  I  just  sent  that  first  chapter  off, 
on  the  sly,  to  a  publishing  man  what  had 
his  name  onto  a  good  many  of  John 
Wesley  Gray's  books ;  and  you'd  a  thought 
from  the  answer  I  got — it  was  short,  bless 
you,  'twas  awful  short,  and  to  the  p'in't — 
but  you'd  a  thought  that  this  publishing 
man  was  just  as  interested  about  printing 
books  that  folks  want  to  read  as  anybody 
else.  And,  if  you'll  believe  me,  he  jest 
the  same  as  owned  up  that  he'd  been 
pondering  onto  the  subject  of  religion 
and  the  church  and  sich  for  some  time 
back,  hisself. 

I  spect  that's  what  comes  of  my  being 
natural  when  I  write.  If  John  Wesley, 
or  Ellen  Maria,  or  even  Melviny  Mellings 
had  a-polished  up  that  first  chapter  there 
wouldn't  a  been  anything  but  the  shine 
left ;  and  nobody  would  a  knowed  what  I 
was  a-trying  to  get  at. 

I  can't  help  feeling  sorry,  though,  that 
the  publishing  man  took  such  pains  as  to 
print  all  of  his  letter  except  his  name, 


18  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

which  he  just  wrote.  If  he  should  ever 
feel  called  upon  to  write  to  me  again,  I 
hope  he  won't  put  himself  out,  for  my 
eyes  is  real  good,  and  I  can  read  plain 
writing  tolerable  easy. 


CHAPTER  III 

That  Call  from  Mrs. 
Judge  Bawcom 

XT  OW,  the  one  thing  what  stirred  me  up 
about  joining  myself  onto  a  church 
was  the  respectability  sum.  (I  want  folks 
to  have  some  idea  as  to  what  I'm  writing 
onto ;  so  I  don't  talk  about  solving  no 
problems.  That's  college  education  talk. 
But  in  my  schooldays  we  worked  sums 
and  we  got  ans'ers  to  'em.  We  didn't  get 
no  solutions.  If  a  sum  was  hard  we 
worked  hard.  If 'twasn't,  we  didn't.  And 
I  hain't  a  bit  ashamed  to  own  up  that  the 
respectability  sum  is  about  the  hardest 
thing  I've  tackled  onto  for  quite  a 
spell.) 

What  set  the  subject  a-revolving  into 

19 


20  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

my  mind  was  that  call  from  Mrs.  Jedge 
Bawcom.  Not  that  she  hadn't  never 
called  onto  me  before,  for  she  had.  The 
Bawcoms  and  the  Hopkinses  has  always 
been  on  visiting  terms  ;  but  because  she's 
what  you  call  ladylike ;  and  it's  real 
pleasant  to  have  her  carriage  stop  before 
your  door  and  to  see  her  getting  out,  slow- 
like  and  stately — just  as  if  nothing 
couldn't  be  done  without  her,  but  as  if 
she  wasn't  going  to  hurry  if  it  wasn't 
never  done. 

Well,  she  set  right  down  into  that 
there  stuffed  Boston  rocker  what  always 
stands  in  the  right-hand  corner  of  the 
square  parlor,  'longside  of  the  window 
that's  next  to  the  elm  outside.  And  she 
talked  in  her  slow,  elegant  way  about 
matters  and  things  in  general,  till  we 
come,  somehow  'ruther,  to  speaking  'bout 
the  different  churches. 

"  Miss  Hopkins,"  says  she,  "  what's 
this  I've  hearn  about  your  going  off  to 
the  Methodist  Church  ?  It's  strange  how 


Tompkin's  Corner.  21 

reports  get  strung  about  into  which  there 
ain't  one  grain  of  truth." 

Now  she  didn't  have  any  mean,  sneak- 
ing sneer  onto  her  face  when  she  spoke 
that  word,  Methodist.  She  thinks  alto- 
gether too  much  of  herself  to  be  found  a- 
sneering  at  anything  or  anybody.  But, 
if  you'll  believe  me,  there  was  a  battery 
shock  that  run  down  my  whole  spinal 
column,  and  made  me  feel  for  about  a 
minute  as  if  I'd  been  caught  a-doing  some- 
thing what  didn't  belong  to  the  best 
Tompkin's  Corners'  manners. 

But,  after  a  breath  or  two,  I  begun  feel- 
ing my  temper  a-rising,  and  I  looked  at 
her  quite  severe.  But  there  she  set,  every 
inch  a  lady,  who  wouldn't  be  found  try- 
ing to  put  down  anybody — least  of  all  a 
whole  church — for  the  world.  It  was  real 
fortunate  that  I  didn't  speak  that  first 
minute,  for  I  should,  a-most  likely,  been 
kinder  worked  up  over  it  afterwards  if 
I  had. 

"  We're   always   counting   onto   you." 


22  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

she  went  on,  "as  belonging  to  our  par 
ticular  company.  There  ain't  many  of  the 
old  families  left,  and  we  don't  want  to  lose 
one  out — 'specially  such  a  one  as  yours 
has  been.  Of  course  I  hain't  saying  as 
there  beant  no  good  folks  into  that 
church."  The  galvanic  battery  took  a- 
hold  of  my  spinal  column  again.  "  No- 
body wouldn't  think  of  doubting  their 
piety;  but  it  don't  seem  likely  to  me, 
that  a  person  with  your  tastes  and  bring- 
ing-up,  Miss  Hopkins,  would  feel  very 
much  to  home  with  some  of  them." 

There  was  a  kind  o'  insinuating  tone 
into  her  slow  voice ;  and  while  she  spoke 
it,  she  moved  a  little  and  the  sunlight  was 
ketched  by  the  beads  what  was  em- 
broidered all  over  the  front  breadth  of  her 
dress,  and  throwed  off  into  little  sparkles 
onto  the  wall.  And  they  danced  and 
shook  theirselves  as  if  they  was  about 
tickled  to  death  over  the  very  idea.  And 
she  looked  so  real  genteel  and  ladylike ! 
And  I  remembered  the  old  cheeny,  and  the 


Tompkin's  Corner.  23 

solid  silver,  and  the  'ristocratic  air  of  her 
whole  house.  Not  that  her  own  family 
was  anything  so  very  great ;  but  that, 
having  married  herself  to  the  Jedge,  she 
took  all  o'  them  airs  onto  herself  jest  as 
natural-like  as  if  she'd-  been  a  born  Baw- 
com. 

I  begun  to  think  that  'twas  time  for  me 
to  open  my  mouth.  So,  in  as  mild  a 
tone  as  hern,  I  said  that  I  wanted  to  be 
recognized  because  I  was  Elvira  Hopkins, 
a  respectable  and  comfortable-off  maiden 
woman,  and  not  jest  because  I  tended 
one  church  'stead  of  another.  I  told  her 
that  I  could  appreciate  friends — regular- 
built  friends — as  well  as  anybody ;  but 
that  I  didn't  want  nobody  a-sociating  with 
me  just  'cause  I  belonged  to  their  com- 
munion and  helped  to  bear  the  expenses 
of  their  church. 

I  told  her  that  I  never  had  been  one 
of  them  kind  what  had  to  keep  their  re- 
spectability bolstered  up  by  a  parson  and 
a  passel  of  deacons  ;  that  I  hadn't  had 


24  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

yet  to  be  dragged  into  what  a  certain  fe-vs 
might  call  "  good  society "  by  hanging 
on  to  a  popular  church. 

Talking  seemed  to  come  easy  after  I'd 
got  my  mouth  open.  And  I  went  on  and 
told  her  that  as  to  my  not  feeling  to  home 
with  some  of  the  Methodist  folks,  that  I 
could  name  to  her,  right  there,  a  number 
of  Presbyterians  and  some  Baptists  and 
Congregationals,  and  a  few  Lutherans 
and  Bpiscopals,  with  whom  I  hadn't  never 
been  able  to  make  myself  feel  to  home. 

The  little  sparkles  on  to  the  wall  got 
mad,  and  danced  up  and  down  and  shook 
their  bright  little  fists  at  me.  Though 
.  Mrs.  Jedge  Bawcom  talked  as  mild  as  ever 
.and  she  said  with  a  sort  of  sigh :  "  I'm 
real  surprised  to  hear  you  a-talking  in 
such  a  fanatical  manner,  Miss  Hopkins. 
I  wouldn't  a-believed  it  possible  from  one 
of  your  family.  I  shall  still  hope  that 
we'll  be  friendly.  But  it  ain't  to  be  ex- 
pected that  we'll  be  likely  to  meet  as  often 
in  the  future  as  in  the  past." 


Tompkin's  Corner.  25 

Then  she  got  up  and  pulled  her  long 
fur  cloak  up  onto  her  sloping  shoulders, 
and  shook  hands  with  me  in  the  perlitest 
way  possible  :  and,  after  a  observation  or 
two  onto  the  weather,  she  went  off.  But 
she  left  me  somewhat  as  a  big  steamer 
might  cut  loose  from  a  little  row-boat  out 
onto  the  deep  sea — jest  cut  right  loose 
and  sail  off  a-leaving  of  the  little  thing  to 
take  care  of  itself — if  it  could. 

I  was  calm  outside — perfectly  calm  and 
well-behaved  ;  but  it  wan't  to  be  expected 
that  I  was  a  first-class  saint  away  down 
out  of  sight. 

I  s'pose  'twas  that  very  thing  that  done 
more  toward  making  a  Methodist  out  of 
me  in  a  hurry  than  anything  else.  I 
mean  the  fact  that  she  went  a  leetle  too 
fur.  'Twas  like  using  a  spur  onto  a  mettle- 
some beast,  with  me.  Though  I  can  see 
how  it  might  a  wilted  some  folks  like  cut 
clover  under  a  August  sun. 

I  jest  said  to  myself,  I  did:  "Elvira, 
Hopkins,  ef  you've  got  one  spark  of  re- 


26  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

spectability  or  old  family  name  or  any- 
thing else  that's  worth  having,  you  just 
go  and  put  'em  where  they'll  do  the  most 
good.  And  where  some  folks,  who  ain't 
certain  sure  of  the  genuineness  of  theirn, 
feel  kinder  feard  of  putting  'em  to  the 
test.  Maybe  there's  a  work  for  your  old 
hands  to  do  yet  in  this  shilly-shally 
world.  You  hain't  never  been  called  a 
shirk  yet,  and  I  wouldn't  begin  at  this 
time  of  life,  if  I  was  you." 

My  bonnet  and  shawl  was  on  in  a  jiffy. 
It  wan't  no  time  before  John  Wesley 
Gray  was  a-writing  my  name  down  as  a 
probationer  into  his  church.  Ellen  Maria 
kissed  me  onto  both  of  my  old  cheeks. 

"  You  blessed  Auntie,",  says  she. 
"  You're  going  to  be  a  Methodist,  are 
you  ?  Well,  I  know  what  that  means. 
It's  heart,  soul,  and  pocketbook." 

"  Yes,"  says  I.  "  And  it's  respect- 
ability and  the  old  fambly  name  thrown 
in,  'longside  o'  the  rest." 

They  both  stared,  but  I  didn't  let  on. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  27 

It  wouldn't  a  been  best  to  a  let  on. 
Afterward,  I  set  down  with  my  niece  in 
the  little  setting-room  to  have  a  little 
visit,  and  as  we  set  there  with  the  door 
of  the  study  ajar,  I  could  see  that  the 
young  minister  rested  his  head  onto  his 
hands  a  good  deal ;  that  he  'peared  like 
a  man  what  was  a-carrying  burdens  so 
heavy  as  not  to  be  good  for  him. 

"  My  dear,  what  is  the  matter  of  John 
Wesley,"  I  inquired.  "  Is  his  sermon 
work  too  heavy  for  him?  " 

Then  Ellen  Maria,  she  sighed  real 
hard.  And  she  begun  to  seem  very  much 
interested  into  something  what  was  going 
on  outside  the  window.  I've  a  sneaking 
sorto'  suspicion  that 'twas  to  hide  the  look 
that  come  over  her  face,  so's  I  shouldn't 
get  onto  it.  For,  seeing  as  she's  all  I 
have  in  the  world,  she  knows  how  close 
she's  watched  by  a  pair  of  loving  old  eyes. 

So  she  just  said:  "Oh,  no!  he  loves 
nothing  better'n  his  pulpit  preparation. 
He's  just  had  a  call  from  the  young 


28  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Bldredges  and  the  Wrights.  They  came 
to  ask  for  their  church  letters."  She 
leaned  forward  as  if  things  was  getting 
very  interesting  out  of  the  window.  * '  They 
say  we've  no  society  in  our  church,  and 
that  it  would  be  pleasanter  to  be  united 
in  church  interests  with  the  same  ones 
who  are  their  associates  in  other  matters. 
So,  they  are  going  to  join  the  Presby- 
terians." 

I  was  surprised.  Grandfather  Bldredge 
was  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  And  Jonathan  Wright 
had  been  a  class-leader  for  up'ards  of  forty 
year. 

"  If  we  don't  have  any  society  in  our 
church,"  said  Bllen  Maria  with  a  little 
tremble  into  her  voice  that  took  right  a- 
hold  of  my  heart-strings,  "  it's  because  we 
won't  have  it.  Methodists  who  have  as 
much  money  as  other  people,  and  more, 
too,  don't  have  lovely  little  parties  for 
their  young  people.  So,  if  the  young  ones 
want  to  have  good  times,  they  must  go 


Tompkin's  Corner.  29 

into  the  homes  of  members  of  other 
churches  who  are  willing  to  be  to  some 
little  trouble  and  expense  for  the  sake  of 
seeing  young  people  happy. 

"  So,  we  haven't  many  left  beside  old 
people  and  children,  and  the  constant  fear 
is  that  as  soon  as  the  children  grow  up 
they'll  leave  us,  too.  It's  a  sorry  looking 
future  for  a  church  with  the  broadest, 
sweetest  creed  under  the  sun." 

I  didn't  have  anything  to  say  that  would 
really  touch  the  p'int ;  so  I  jest  took  her 
face  between  my  hands  and  said: 

"  Well,  good-by,  dearie.  Let's  hope  that 
things '11  all  come  'round  right  after  a 
spell."  Then  I  went  home  and  set  right 
down  and  begun  to  ponder.  Seems  to  me 
that  I'm  having  a  deal  of  pondering  to  do 
lately. 


CHAPTER  IV 

She  Argues  the  Case,  somewhat, 
of  the  Church  for  the  Young 
as  well  as  the  Young  for  the 
Church 

"\XTELL,  I  went  home,  as  I  said,  and  set 
down  to  ponder  onto  the  subject  that 
seemed  to  be  a-bothering  the  life  out  of  John 
Wesley  Gray !  After  a  while  I  jest  made 
my  mind  up.  Then  I  had  my  little  brown 
horse  hitched  onto  the  low  buggy,  and  I 
drove  round  and  invited  every  one  of  the 
older  members  of  the  Methodist  Church 
to  my  house  for  an  early  tea  on  Wednes- 
day afternoon. 

I  told  them  that,  insomuch  as  my  name 
had  been   put   onto   the   church    roll,   I 

wanted  to  have  a  little  celebration  of  my 
3° 


Tompkin's  Corner.  31 

own.  And  I  added,  moreover,  that  if 
any  body  staid  away  I  should  feel  very 
specially  grieved. 

The  next  morning  Martha  Ann — she's 
the  woman  what  has  lived  with  me  as  a 
sort  of  housekeeper  and  general  friend 
for  so  many  years  that  we've  got  to  think 
pretty  much  alike — well,  she  and  I  set  to 
work  a-preparing  for  my  company.  Our 
family  was  always  called  good  perviders, 
and  I  just  laid  myself  out  this  time. 
Martha  Ann  and  I  didn't  leave  no  stone 
unturned. 

On  Wednesday  my  visitors  come.  You 
should  a-seen  the  buggies  unloading 
at  that  front  gate.  We  had  a  old-fash- 
ioned tea  and  a  good  old-fashioned  visit. 

Everybody  seemed  happy.  They 
talked  and  laughed  and  told  stories  of  the 
pranks  they  cut  in  their  younger  days 
and  proved  to  me,  then  and  there,  that 
Methodists  are  as  good  company  as  any- 
body needs  hanker  after. 

And  I  said,  out  loud  enough  for  'em 


82  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

all  to  hear,  that  I  wished  the  young  folks 
of  the  church  had  been  invited,  'cause  I 
knew  they'd  a-liked  to  a-heard  the  stories 
about  ole-time  doings. 

It  was  an  unfortunate  remark.  Grand- 
father Kldredge  drew  down  his  face  and 
said  that  our  Church  didn't  have  hardly 
any  young  folks,  these  days  ;  they  was 
too  light  an'  triflin'  to  be  Methodists. 

He  said  as  how  that  he'd  labored  and 
labored  with  his  grandchildren  ;  but  that 
nothin'  couldn't  keep  'em.  They'd  all 
gone  off  into  other  churches.  Then  some 
others  took  it  upon  themselves  to  join  in 
with  the  same  kind  of  remarks,  and  my 
party  was  fast  turning  into  a  funeral.  - 

But  I  didn't  care.  I'd  invited  them  for 
this  pertickerler  thing.  So  I  just  plucked 
up  courage  and  said,  says  I : 

'  Well,  if  we  "  (strange  how  easy  'twas 
to  go  to  counting  on  myself  as  one  of 
'em) — "  if  we  hain't  got  the  knack  of 
keeping  young  folks  with  us  ain't  we  to 
blame  'stid  o'  them  ?  Young  folks  is  like 


Tompkin's  Corner.  33 

bees.  They're  allers  hummin'  'round 
wherever  there's  sunshine  an'  sweets. 
I've  been  a-ponderin'  onto  this  thing 
pretty  strong.  And  I've  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  reason  why  we're  a-losin' 
our  young  folks  is,  'cause  we  make  too 
much  of  Heaven  an'  too  little  of  Here. 
Now  eternity  ain't  good,  as  a  stiddy  diet, 
for  strong,  healthy,  happy  young  hearts." 

Horrified  looks  spread  like  quick 
thunder  clouds  over  'most  all  of  the  faces. 
But  I  saw  a  wonderful  light  rising  into 
the  one  I  love  best  in  the  world.  It  shone 
out  till  it  reflected  onto  that  other  face 
that  had  been  bowed  over  the  desk  into 
the  little  study.  And,  somehow,  I 
plucked  up  courage  to  go  on. 

"  Be  kinder  patient  long  o'  me,"  I 
said,  "  'cause  I've  just  got  myself  into  the 
Church,  and  it's  so  sweet  an'  shelt'rin'  a 
feelin'  to  me,  that  I  just  want  to  be  a 
gettin'  every  livin'  soul,  young  an'  ole, 
to  try  it  for  their  own  selves.  But  we 
must  be  mighty  keerful.  We  must  show 
3 


34  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

that  we're  a-living  into  this  present  world 
and  a  working  for  it — reasonable-like — if 
we  want  to  persuade  folks  to  join  us  in 
huntin'  arter  a  better  one. 

"  We  must  have  charity  that's  softer 
than  swan's-down  ;  an'  we  must  be  care- 
ful and  not  call  sunny-hearted  youngsters 
light  and  triflin'  if  they  do  hanker  arter 
somethin'  a  trifle  more  exciting  than  a 
prayer-meeting.  Jest  let's  give  'em  some 
parties — the  right  kind,  of  course — and 
then  go  in  and  help  'em  to  get  a  good 
time  out  of  'em.  We  take  dancing  away 
from  them  and  give  'em  a  class-meeting. 
We  won't  let  'em  play  cards ;  but  we 
think  we're  doing  mighty  fine  things  for 
'em  when  we  let  'em  work  theirselves 
nigh  about  to  death  to  a  church  social. 

"  We  hain't  got  no  business  to  make 
them  help  raise  the  church  expenses  what 
we'd  orter  put  our  hands  into  our  pockets 
for.  Most  of  us  know  what  a  hilarious 
thing  and  one  to  be  desired  and  longed 
for,  the  general  run  of  church  socials  is." 


Tompkin's  Corner.  35 

Then  Mrs.  Bemis  begun  to  get  riled. 
'Twas  jest  a  leetle  too  much  for  her.  "  Ef 
young  folks  had  the  love  of  Christ  into 
their  hearts  it  ud  take  all  desires  arter 
carnal  things  out  of  'em — and  that  with- 
out no  mincin'  of  matters,"  says  she. 

"But  we'd  orter  be  careful,"  I  said 
again,  very  tender-like,  "  and  let  the  in- 
fluences of  our  holy  Religion  drop  onto 
their  young  lives  as  soft  as  the  sweet 
spring  showers  come  down ;  when  the 
buds  begin  to  blow  and  the  little  birds  go 
out  and  spread  and  flutter  their  pretty 
wings  so  as  to  get  all  they  can  of  it,  and 
duck  their  little  heads  into  it  when  it's  a- 
comin  down,  we  mustn't  drownd  'em 
out  with  a  thunder-shower,  what  drenches 
everything,  and  breaks  all  the  tender 
branches,  and  beats  down  the  little  posies 
that  would  so  much  ruther  look  up  and 
smile. 

"  A  twelve-year-old  boy  hain't  onto  the 
road  to  perdition  'cause  he  wants  to  see 
the  fireworks  on  a  Fourth  o'  July  even  in' 


36  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

stid  o'  goin'  to  class-meetin' !  Bf 
thing  riles  me  all  up  it's  to  hear  a  woman 
of  sixty  year,  weighin'  nigh  onto  two 
hunderd  pound,  and  what's  got  rheumatiz 
beside,  a-tellin'  how  thankful  she  is  that 
the  desire  to  dance  has  been  tooken  out  of 
her  heart ! " 

Some  of  them  laughed  at  this  little 
shot,  which  done  more  towards  setting 
matters  right  than  you'd  imagine.  A 
good  hearty  laugh,  or  a  smile  what  goes 
rippling  along  across  first  one  face  and 
then  another,  will  do  more  toward 
smoothing  things  up  than  a  sermon,  any 
day. 

So,  the  first  thing  we  knew,  we  was 
really  planning  to  do  something.  Our 
young  minister  and  his  wife — my  niece, 
Bllen  Maria — said  they'd  give  out  invita- 
tions for  everybody  to  call  onto  them 
Monday  afternoons  and  evenings.  They 
said  they'd  have  chocolate,  or  tea,  or 
coffee — something  easy  done  and  not  too 
much  costing — to  hand  about,  and  they'd 


Tompkin\s  Corner.  37 

do  all  that  they  could  with  books  and 
pictures  and,  may  be,  a  little  music  to 
give  the  folks — young  and  old — a  happy 
time. 

"  And  we  want  all  of  you  to  come  in," 
said  Bllen  Maria  with  her  face  all  pink 
and  pretty.  "  Don't  let  the  young  folks 
think  that  you  don't  like  to  have  them 
'round.  Ask  'em  to  come  with  you,  and 
you'll  soon  see  how  the  line  between  the 
old  and  the  young  will  fade  away.  You'll 
grow  so  young,  yourselves,  and  they'll  be 
such  charming  company,  that  the  mil- 
lennium will  come,  in  one  church  at 
least." 

Everybody  loves  Ellen  Maria.  Her 
mother  wasn't  a  bit  like  me.  So  she's 
already  got  a  strong  hold  onto  their  'fec- 
tions.  And  whatever  she  seems  to  set 
her  heart  onto,  they  feel  willing  to,  at 
least,  give  a  trial  to. 

There  was  more  talking  and  planning 
— heaps  of  it,  and  everything  seemed  to 
be  harmonious-like  when  we  said  good- 


38  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

night  to  one  another,  and  I  was  left  to 
sit  down  afore  the  old  fireplace  in  the 
back  parlor  and  to  ponder  onto  what  was 
best  for  me  to  do — a  plain,  ornery 
maiden-woman  living  lone  and  lonely — 
toward  helping  the  Methodist  Church  of 
Tompkin's  Corners  to  keep  its  young 
folks  from  slipping  out  of  its  arms. 


CHAPTER  V 

She  Begins  to  Try  to  Live  out 
some  of  the  Results  of  her 
Pondering 

/T>HERE  was  a  pretty  long  train  of 
results  that  hitched  theirselves  onto 
my  ponderings  after  the  Party.  I  didn't 
undertake  to  argufy  the  point,  I  just 
went  to  living  it  out  as  fast  as  possible. 
Perhaps  I  was  taking  a  good  deal  onto 
myself;  but  want  meant  that  way. 

That  night,  after  my  visitors  had  gone 
I  looked  all  round  my  house — into  every 
room.  And  I  tried  to  make  my  eyes  any- 
wheres from  sixteen  to  twenty  year  old 
'stid  of — there,  I  almost  let  out  my  age  ! 
And  I  couldn't  keep  from  seeing  that, 

while  things  was  altogether  clean  and  com- 

39 


40  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

fortable  they  was  what  you  might  say, 
stiff.  Black  horse-hair  furniture  must 
have  been  first  invented  for  funerals  and 
prisons,  and  got  mixed  in  their  directions 
and  landed  into  folkses  real  living-rooms. 
There  was  a  sort  of  halo  hoverin'  round 
some  straight-backed  chairs  that  come 
under  my  gaze ;  but,  in  all  my  last  years, 
.1  couldn't  remember  as  how  that  a  young 
person  had  ever  chose  one  of  them  stiff, 
hearse-like  looking  things  to  set  onto  when 
they'd  come  in  to  see  me. 

The  end  of  that  severe  glancing  'round 
was  that,  instead  of  using  the  money  that 
had  just  been  paid  in  onto  one  mortgage 
in  buying  of  another,  I  went  and  told 
Martha  Ann  to  get  ready  and  go  with 
Bllen  Maria  and  me  to  the  city  for  a  day's 
trading. 

We  had  a  powerful  good  time.  Arter 
I  got  that  first  hundred  dollars  fairly 
broke  into,  my  selfishness  seemed  to  get 
ashamed  of  itself.  It  was  something  real 
remarkable  how  them  bills  slipped  through 


Tompkin's  Corner.  41 

my  fingers,  and  how  I  corne  to  enjoy 
a-letting  of  em  go. 

"Auntie  acts  like  a  lover  preparing  a 
home  for  his  bride,"  said  Ellen  Maria  with 
a  little  laugh. 

Then  I  took  to  it  and  scolded  her  for 
letting  me  go  on  so  pokey-like  during  all 
of  her  young  days.  But  she  said  that  I 
kept  her  away  at  school  so  much  that  any 
place  would  have  looked  beautiful  that 
could  be  called  home. 

We  went  to  a  real  fashionable  place  for 
dinner,  and  I  bought  the  best  things  on 
the  list.  Then  I  got  Martha  Ann  a  new 
black  silk  gownd,  and  told  her  not  to 
keep  it  a-hanging  into  her  clothes-press, 
but  to  wear  it — for  there  was  more  where 
that  come  from,  and  I  bought  Bllen 
Maria  a  imported  thing — very  delicate  and 
just  the  color  of  her  hair  and  one  or  two 
others.  And  a  few  necessary  articles  was 
tacked  onto  my  own  wearing  apparel. 

We  went  home  tired ;  but  we  was  happy. 
I'd  never  spent  so  much  money  into  my 


42  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

whole  life.  Everything  was  'bout  the  same 
as  when  the  property  come  into  my  hands  ; 
and  while  I  ain't  so  pesky  rich  as  some 
folks  seem  to  think  I  be,  'twas  time  that 
things  should  be  furbished  up  a  little. 

For  a  day  or  two  we  jest  had  to  set 
'round  waiting  for  them  things  to  come. 
I  got  to  be  real  kinder  restless  a-waitin'so 
long. 

But,  when  they  did  come,  you  can  reckon 
that  we  was  kept  pretty  lively.  There 
was  easy  chairs — regular-built  sleepy-hol- 
lows— to  be  stowed  away  into  corners,  and 
some  pretty  willows  that  had  to  have 
bright  ribbons  run  into  them  and  tied 
into  loose  bows.  It  was  beautiful  to  see 
what  the  fingers  of  that  niece  of  mine 
could  do.  The  new  curtains  made  every- 
thing look  soft  and  graceful,  and  the 
pictures 

It  was  real  extravagant  to  buy  them  two 
pictures  at  that  price.  But  when  the  days 
is  dreary,  a  look  at  that  soft  landscape 
by  Mr.  Inness  is  good  for  tired  eyes  ; 


Tompkin's  Corner.  43 

and  Ellen  Maria  said  that  so  good  a  copy 
of  that  particular  Madonna  and  Child 
would  have  been  cheap  at  double  the 
money.  My  own  opinion  is  worth  a  good 
deal  more  about  tomato  ketchup  than 
about  Madonnas;  but  my  heart  grew 
wonderfully  tender  when  I  looked  into 
them  serious  eyes, 

There'd  a-been  trouble  into  the  choir, 
and  the  singing  was  enough  to  drive  a 
body  distracted.  John  Wesley  Gray,  the 
pastor,  had  said  oncet  in  my  hearing  that 
if  he  was  rich,  he'd  get  a  fust-class  musi- 
cianer  man  to  come  and  train  the  young 
people,  and  then  to  come  to  the  Sunday 
meetings  and  stand  up  and  lead  the  hull 
congregation  by  beating  a  stick — I  dis- 
remember  now,  jest  what  he  called  them 
kind  of  musicianer  men. 

There  wasn't  no  such  to  be  had  in  all 
Tompkin's  Corners.  Mr.  McCheen,  who 
was  best,  had  been  hired  to  play  the  organ 
into  the  Episcopal  Church ;  and  Mr. 
Noyes,  who  could  do  it  pretty  well,  was 


44  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

a  Presbyterian  and  had  to  work  into  their 
choir.  But  I  hadn't  made  all  my  plans 
for  nothing.  I  just  spunked  right  up 
and  had  John  Wesley  write  up  to  the  city 
and  get  a  real,  regular-built  perfessor  of 
music  to  come  to  Tompkin's  Corners  and 
train  our  young  folks  every  Saturday 
night,  and  then  to  just  come  right  to  my 
house  in  my  best  spare  chamber  over 
Sunday,  so  as  to  lead  the  singing  of  the 
preaching  meetings  and  the  Sunday- 
school. 

The  new  Steinway  piano  that  Ellen 
Maria  picked  out  that  day  we  went  into 
the  city,  was  standing  into  my  big  back 
parlor.  I'd  made  up  my  mind  to  have  a 
set  of  good,  jolly,  old-fashioned  singing- 
schools  to  my  own  house  every  Saturday 
night ;  and  to  wind  each  one  up  with 
some  good  eating  things  to  pass  'round, 
and  a  happy  social  time. 

So,  Martha  Ann,  she  brought  out  the 
fambly  linen — what  was  most  as  old  as  I 
was,  and  she  dusted  the  mulberry  cheeny 


Tompkin's  Corner.  45 

that  was  my  mother's  wedding-present, 
and  both  on  us  rubbed  up  the  silver.  And 
while  we  was  a-doing  of  all  these  things, 
our  hum-drum  old  life  got  "  chocked  so 
full  " — as  Martha  Ann  said — that  it  was 
as  sweet  as  a  life  on  earth  can  possibly 
be  to  a  body  who  has  seen  so  many  years 
a-goin'  by. 

And  while  we  was  a-working,  I  felt  so 
kind  of  chipper  that,  though  I  can't  carry 
a  tune — not  if  it  was  to  save  my  life — if 
you'll  believe  me,  I'd  catch  myself  hum- 
ming onto  some  of  them  prayer-meeting 
tunes.  The  one  that  staid  into  my  mind 
the  clostest  was, 

"  One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus." 

Then  I  just  had  to  stop  and  laugh  at 
myself  for  going  round  a-singing  like 
any  young  thing  who  was  getting  ready 
for  her  first  party.  But,  sure's  you're 
living,  'twouldn't  be  no  time  before  I'd 
find  myself  singing  away : 

"  Lord,  if  I  may, 
I'll  work  another  day." 


46  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Then  things  would  kinder  grow  misty 
and  gray  afore  my  eyes,  and  there  wouldn't 
be  nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but  to  wipe 
'em  off  with  a  corner  of  my  checkered 
apron  and  say : 

"  Well,  Elvira  Hopkins,  if  you  be 
a-making  a  fool  of  yourself,  and  I  really 
think  you  be,  you  must  confess  to  its 
being  a  very  pleasant  and  agreeable  feel- 

ing." 

I  think  that,  some  way,  all  the  pent-up 
love  of  my  old  heart  just  went  and  poured 
itself  out  like  a  river.  Having  been  shut 
up  for  so  long,  with  only  Ellen  Maria  to 
coddle,  it  seemed  as  if  I  must  take  the 
whole  passel  of  young  folks  in.  And  what 
a  merry  company  they  be  ! 

I  won't  trouble  to  tell  you  about  how 
that  first  nor  second,  nor  any  of  the 
Saturday  evenings  at  my  house  went  off ; 
nor  how  the  young  ones  have  got  to  kinder 
dropping  in  onto  me,  a-most  any  time  o' 
day  or  evening,  with  their  plans  and  their 
frolics."  It's  a-getting  so  that  they  lead 


Tompkin's  Corner.  47 

me  a  pretty  crazy  life,  I  can  tell  you,  with 
their  secrets  and  their  lovers'  quarrels  to 
be  straightened  out. 

It  was  only  a  quarrel,  such  a  mite  of  a 
one,  that  wrecked  my  own  life  and  flung 
it  up  onto  cold  and  barren  rock !  And, 
with  their  wanting  to  be  better  Christians 
and  to  do  things  for  Christ, — why,  they 
don't  give  me  time  to  get  into  my  old 
shut-up  ways — not  even  if  I  wanted  to. 

It's  queer,  but  the  Bldridge  young  folks, 
and  the  Wrights  have  come  back  again. 
Mrs.  Bemis  says  they  are  arter  the  loaves 
and  fishes — that  they  want  the  training 
of  that  city  professor.  But,  suppose  they 
do  ?  Loaves  and  fishes  ain't  worth  noth- 
ing if  they  don't  get  et  at  the  right  time. 
We've  got  just  as  good  a  right  to  win  by 
music  as  the  vile  places  have,  and  a  good 
deal  more  ;  for  music  was  born  in  Heaven 
when  the  stars  sung  together  that  morn- 
ing. And  its  very  being  is  to  bless. 

But  we've  got  the  best  singing  into  our 
church  that's  going  anywhere  in  Tomp- 


48  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

kin's  Corners  now.  The  city  music-man 
leads,  the  youngsters  are  scattered  all 
over  the  church,  and  Martha  Ann  says, 
"  It's  a  sight  to  hear  that  singing !  " 


CHAPTER  VI 

She  Quotes  from  a  Sermon 
Preached  by  Ellen  Maria's 
Husband 

QUITE  a  change  has  come  into  some 
f^  of  the  homes  of  our  Church — not 
into  all  of  them,  bless  you !  There  is  them 
as  would  complain  of  the  angel  Gabriel. 
John  Wesley  preached  a  sermon  that  was  a 
word  in  the  nick  of  time.  He  said  that  if 
we  were  watching  the  younger  members 
of  the  flock  we  might  feel  sure  that  their 
keener  eyes  have  not  looked  less  closely 
at  us.  He  asked  what  we  had  done  to 
win  their  love  for  the  Church  of  our  choice, 
and  their  love  for  ourselves  as  members  of 
that  Church.  Our  words  to  them  have 

been  a  constant  Do  not  this  and  that  but 
4  49 


50  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

we  haven't  troubled  ourselves  to  find  out 
any  pleasant  thing  for  them  to  enjoy,  and 
then  go  and  invite  them  to  enjoy  it.  If 
we  believe  that  certain  things  do  not  aid 
to  spirituality,  then  we  are  our  brother's 
keeper,  in  so  far  that  we  should  help  him 
to  something  that  will  entertain  without 
harming  him,  and  interest  without  lower- 
ing the  high  plane  of  social  intercourse. 

This  seems  kind  o'  high-fa-lutin'  writ- 
ing for  my  goose-quill :  but  I  borrowed 
the  sermon  so  as  to  make  it  read  real  im- 
posing-like. 

He  said,  into  that  sermon,  that  we  sit 
calmly  by  and  let  others  rule  the  social 
world ;  and,  by  and  by,  when  our  young 
folks  drift  away  from  us,  we  hold  up  our 
hands  in  shocked  amazement  at  what  was 
the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world. 

"  It  is  as  much  our  duty, "said  John  Wes- 
ley Gray  in  that  sermon,  "  to  make  people 
innocently  happy  as  to  pray  with  them. 
Indeed  it  would  be  a  good  deal  easier  to 
pray  for  some  one  whose  life  we  have 


Tompkin's  Corner.  51 

brightened  or  sweetened.  It  is  not  right 
to  sigh  over  the  evils  of  society  and  make 
no  effort  to  change  them.  How  many  of 
our  established  church-members  make  an 
effort  to  become  acquainted  with  and  to 
encourage  the  younger  ones  ;  to  let  them 
feel  that  their  presence  is  appreciated  at 
a  service  or,  in  a  gentle  way,  that  their 
absence  is  felt. 

"  To  be  sure  it's  the  duty  of  every  one  to 
work,  whether  he's  appreciated  or  not. 
But  Duty  is  a  hard  task-master.  Who  of 
us  does  not  often  shirk  ? 

u  There  is  no  reason  why,  with  proper 
conditions,  we  should  not  have  our  pro- 
portion of  the  intelligent,  cultured  young 
people  in  every  hamlet,  village  and  city 
in  the  land.  But  we  must  look  sharply 
after  the  conditions. 

"  We  are  a  strangely  unappreciative 
church  at  times.  We  do  not  like  to  flatter 
people.  If  we  see  that  one  is  inclined  to 
a  little  innocent  self-appreciation,  instead 
of  gratifying  human  nature,  and  at  the 


52  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

same  time  turning  latent  energy  into 
the  right  channel,  we  snub  him.  We 
wouldn't  give  him  a  pleasant  office,  or  an 
honor,  for  anything  in  the  world.  We  ex- 
pect him  to  be  a  saint,  while  our  own  hearts 
keep  a  little  corner  for  envy  and  jealousy. 

"  '  In  honor  preferring  one  another.'  I 
would  go  a  long  way  to  see  the  faithful 
old  Sunday-school  superintendent,  or  the 
class-leader,  who  had  sincerely,  and  with 
cheerfulness,  offered  his  resignation  in 
favor  of  some  bright  young  member  and, 
afterward,  continued  to  throw  all  his 
energies  toward  making  the  new  man  a 
success.  It  would  be  worth  a  pilgrimage 
to  clasp  the  hand  of  such  a  man !  " 

It  was  a  risky  thing  for  a  young  preacher 
to  say.  But  he  didn't  do  it  like  a  scold.  I 
saw  some  of  the  folks  nodding  their 
heads  to  each  other,  and  talking,  when 
meeting  was  over.  Some  of  'em  said  that, 
being  as  they  wasn't  millionaires,  they 
wasn't  up  to  giving  "  high  teas  "  and  the 
other  new-fangled  way  of  doing  things. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  53 

But  some  of  'em  was  willing  to  give  the 
matter  a  trial.  They  had,  first,  a  real  old- 
fashioned  quilting  bee,  and  the  one  who 
give  it  found  out  that  real  heart  hospi- 
tality can  charm  even  those  who  are  used 
to  the  most  fashionerable  Tompkin's 
Corners  society. 

One  of  the  class-leaders  had  a  literary 
society  in  which  one  hour  was  given  to 
facts  and  one  to  fun.  And,  every  meeting 
they  took  fifteen  minutes  of  the  first  hour 
to  study  up  the  history  of  Methodism. 
And  you'd  a-been  real  surprised  to  know 
how  very  interested  we  all  got,  and  how 
much  just  this  one  church  has  done  for 
history,  liberty,  and  the  general  uplifting 
of  folks  everywhere.  Why,  we  got  to 
loving  it  as  if  it  was  something  to  be 
proud  on.  We  begun  to  realize  that  we 
was  honored  in  belonging  to  it. 

Old  Mr.  Beers  cut  down  two  favor-//*? 
fruit  trees  when  the  warm  weather  come, 
and  laid  out  a  tennis-court  onto  his  lawn, 
and  invited  players  to  come  and  enjoy  it. 


54  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Old  Mrs.  Martin  started  the  pretty  old 
game  of  battledore  and  shuttlecock. 
You'd  be  astonished  to  find  how  many 
ways  was  got  up  to  make  life  look  bright 
to  young  eyes  that  hadn't  seen  too  much 
sorrow. 

And  them  what  done  these  new  pranks 
was  showed  so  much  respect  and  love  by 
them  as  they  was  trying  to  please,  that 
their  own  lives  grew  younger  every  day. 
As  for  me,  why,  I  talked  so  much  about 
the  young  folks  that  smiles  begun  going 
'round  whenever  I  begun  it.  Martha  Ann 
said  to  me  one  morning  : 

"  You  was  always  real  sfiry,  Miss 
Hopkins.  But  I  do  believe  you're  gittin' 
twenty  year  younger, — in  your  face,  in 
your  voice,  your  eyes  an'  your  smile. 
You  'pear  to  be  gladder  than  you're  use 
to  bein'." 

I've  dwelt  onto  the  pleasant  side  be- 
cause it  was  pleasant  to  do  it.  But,  pos- 
sible, I'd  better  give  a  peep  onto  the  other, 
least  some  as  reads  this  book  and  tries  to 


Tompkin's  Corner.  55 

work  in  the  same  spirit,  may  get  dis- 
couraged. If  anybody  is  fool  enough  to 
think  that,  just  because  he  is  trying  to  do 
right,  he'll  find  plain  sailing,  he's  greatly 
mistaken,  that's  all. 

First  of  all,  our  young  minister  got 
himself  into  immejit  trouble  with  that 
sermon.  Old  Mr.  Wisner,  who's  been 
class-leader  ever  since  I  can  remember, 
didn't  come  nigh  a  meeting.  When  his 
pastor  called  onto  him,  he  said  that  old 
folks  wasn't  of  no  'count,  'cept  to  be 
kicked  to  one  side,  nowadays.  That  it 
use  to  be  different  in  his  younger  days  ; 
but  that  the  church  was  being  "  run"  by 
a  lot  of  boys  and  girls  ;  and  that  the  solid 
members  'ud  best  lay  back  and  jest  see 
where  they'd  bring  up.  Josiah  Wisner  is 
a  man  double  the  age  of  his  young  minis- 
ter. And  the  help  'ud  orter  a  come  from 
the  other  side. 

John  Wesley  didn't  say  anything  to  me ; 
but  he  must  a-found  it  pretty  stiff  work 
a-trying  to  win  a  man  back  what  showed 


56  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

sech  a  spirit.  But  he  brung  it  about, 
somehow,  though  it  took  a  deal  of 
struggle. 

This  and  some  other  things  set  me  to 
pondering.  I've  arriv  to  the  conclusion 
that  while  some  Episcopals  seem  to 
magnify  their  love  for  the  church  too 
much,  some  Methodists  love  their  own 
selves  too  much,  and  are  not  willing  to  do 
big  things,  or  little  ones,  for  the  church's 
own  sake.  They  only  do  things  to  please 
their  own  selves. 

Jest  give  a  man  some  public  thing  to 
do  that  he  likes,  and  ministers  may  come 
and  ministers  may  go,  but  that  man  will 
hold  on  with  a  death  grip — even  if  it  ain't 
no  more  than  passing  the  collection  basket. 
He's  like  a  Canada  thistle  ;  once  get  him 
into  a  place  and  it's  a  life-and-death 
struggle  to  get  him  out. 

This  doesn't  seem  to  be  a  pleasant 
spirit  in  which  to  write,  so  I'll  stop  my 
book  for  the  present. 


CHAPTER  VII 

In  Which  She  Relates  Some  of 
Martha  Ann's  Sayings 

LLEN  MARIA  said,  says  she  to  me 
the  other  day  :  "  Auntie,  John  and  I 
have  thought  that  some  bright  newspaper 
man  might  win  fame  and  perhaps  money 
by  writing  what  you've  been  doing  and 
saying."  She  laughed  when  she  said  it. 
'Twas  a  sort  of  joke. 

But  I  said,  "  Well,  /  don't  want  any 
newspaper  money,  and  I  don't  have  any 
pertickerler  use  for  fame,  either.  It'll 
last  just  as  long  as  you  tickle  folkses 
fancies  ;  and  .  when  you  begin  to  show 
that  you've  a  mind  of  your  own}  you 
must  look  out.  Fame  may  be  a  very 
beautiful  damsel  for  a  young  poet  what 


58  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

is  filled  full  of  longings ;  but  she  ain't 
no  kind  of  company  for  a  respectable 
maiden  woman  to  keep,  what's  got  prop- 
erty that  pays  a  stiddy  income." 

Well,  after  a  hull  week  of  pondering, 
I've  come  to  the  opinion  that  no  harm 
will  be  done  and,  possible,  some  good  may 
come  by  writing  out  some  of  the  things 
said  to  me  and  about  me  and  them  par- 
ticular young  people.  Mrs.  Bemis  didn't 
believe  in  "  caterin'  to  young  folks."  Per- 
haps she  ain't  so  much  to  blame,  for  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Butterworth,  is  a  Free  Metho- 
dist and  is  continually  harping  on  world- 
liness  into  the  Church. 

Well,  them  two  felt  it  to  be  their 
bounden  duty  to  come  and  labor  with  me. 
I  wasn't  to  home  and  they  was  unwise 
enough  to  begin  onto  Martha  Ann.  Says 
Mrs.  Butterworth,  says  she: 

"  Bf  religion  is  goin'  to  make  folks  so 
kind  o'  light  an'  triflin'  as  you  an'  Miss 
Hopkins  is  a-gettin'  to  be,  an  so  bent  on 
carnal  pleasures,  why,  I  can't  recommend 


Tompkin's  Corner.  59 

it  no  more  to  a  dyin'  world.  You  an'  she 
are  a-inakin'  of  them  young  folks  so  gay, 
and  vain,  and  frivolous  that  it  makes  my 
heart  bleed  over  the  waste  places  of  Zion. 
Probable  you  don't  realize,  but  it's  only 
Satan  a-deckin'  himself  out  like  a  angel 
of  light.  A  few  of  us  is  a  tryin'  to  get  folks 
out  of  the  world  into  the  Church  ;  but 
Miss  Hopkins  is  a-bringin'  of  the  world 
right  into  the  Church  with  her  carryings 
on." 

Martha  Ann  said  that  she  thought,  in  a 
minute,  of  that  prayer  that  always  sets 
my  heart  to  throbbing :  "  Father,  I 
pray  not  that  Thou  shouldst  take  them 
out  of  the  world,  but  that  Thou  shouldst 
keep  them  from  the  evil."  But  she 
didn't  mention  it  because  she  verily  be- 
lieves yet,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
casting  pearls  afore  swine. 

So  she  just  said  some  words  of  her  own 
that  sounded  almost  like  poetry  when  she 
tole  'em  over  to  me.  I  didn't  know  that 
there  was  so  much  into  Martha  Ann. 


60  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

But  she  asked  them  women  what  they 
supposed  the  Lord,  hisself,  would  think 
of  a  girl  what  He'd  made  with  a  forehead 
like  a  lily  and  cheeks  like  a  pink  ;  with 
hair  like  summer  dusk,  and  eyes  runnin' 
over  with  sweetness — what  would  He 
think  of  her  if  she  didn't  wear  pretty 
clothes,  not  vain-like  nor  puffed  up,  as 
they  might  say — but  with  an  innocent 
joy  in  bein'  something  that's  pleasant  for 
world-weary  old  eyes  to  turn  theirselves 
onto. 

She  told  them  that  young  folks  was  just 
livin'  an'  walkin'  posies ;  and  that  she 
liked  to  see  the  old  house  bright  with 
them  and  echoing  with  their  pretty  voices. 
She  told  them  that,  maybe,  Miss  Hopkins 
and  all  the  young  folks  was  on  their  way 
to  perdition,  and  that  them  two  and  their 
cronies  was  the  kind  of  stuff  Heaven 
would  be  made  up  of ;  but  that  'twould 
take  somebody  else  to  make  her  believe 
it. 

I  was  quite  shocked  when   she  told  me 


Tompkin's  Corner.  61 

this  but  she,  lowed  that  I'd  best  wait  till 
I'd  heard  the  rest,  before  saying  too 
much. 

It  seems  that  these  women  went  on  to 
say  that  there'd  best  be  only  three  people 
in  the  church,  and  them  three  perfect, 
than  to  have  it  crowded  full  of  pride  and 
vanity. 

Then  Martha  Ann  felt  that  the  time 
had  come  when  she  could  quote  Scripture. 
She  told  them  that  St.  Paul  had  advised 
us  to  set  our  faces  toward  the  mark,  but 
that  he  didn't  say  anything  about  our 
letting  on  that  we  thought  we'd  got  there. 
Paul,  hisself,  'lowed  that  he  wan't  per- 
fect ;  but  that  he  was  a-"  following  after." 
And  she  didn't  think  it  was  a  pertickeler 
modest  thing  to  set  a  body's  self  up  over 
St.  Paul. 

She  said  that  taking  off  from  other 
folkses  piety  never  hadn't  been  knowed 
to  add  any  onto  a  body's  self,  and,  as  for 
the  Church,  it  wan't  no  great,  cold,  white 
individooality  set  up  for  us  to  fall  down 


62  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

before,  as  ef  'twas  a  Hindoo  idol.  The 
Church  is  ourselves — each  other.  And 
Christ  said :  "  Little  children,  love  one 
another."  He  didn't  say :  "  Pick  one 
another  to  pieces." 

"  Mis'  Butter  worth,"  says  Martha  Ann, 
"you  call  yourself  a  Free  Methodist,  an' 
so  fur  as  I  kin  see,  that  simply  means 
that  you're  free  to  find  fault  with  the 
members  of  the  old  church  you've  left." 

Then  they  thought  they  would  go 
home.  Mrs.  Butterworth  said :  "  We 
didn't  come  here  to  talk  to  you.  Will 
you  jest  tell  Miss  Hopkins,  fur  me,  that 
she'd  a  great  deal  better  be  havin'  prayer- 
meetings  over  the  immortal  souls  of  these 
young  folks  every  Saturday  night,  than 
to  be  a-filling  of  their  heads  with  all  sorts 
of  vanities.  She  is  a-lovin'  on  'em  in  a 
weak,  carnal  way ;  and  carin'  for  their 
bodies  instid  of  feelin'  anxious  over  their 
souls." 

Then  Martha  Ann  lost  all  of  her  re- 
ligion for  a  short  spell.  And  she  said 


Tompkin's  Corner.  63 

that  it  would  be  a  good  deal  better  for 
some  folks  that  she  knew  on,  if  they'd 
jest  let  their  souls  and  other  folkses  souls 
rest  for  a  spell,  and  go  to  feedin'  the 
hungry,  an'  smilin'  into  the  eyes  of  them 
that  weep,  an'  speakin'  bright  an'  sun- 
shiny to  them  what  had  lost  out  of  their 
hearin'  the  dearest  voices  on  earth. 

"  The  trouble  with  you  is,"  says  she, 
"  that  you've  been  fussing  'round  over 
your  soul  till  you've  got  it  into  a  morbid 
state — like  a  baby  what's  cuddled  to  death, 
and  waked  up  every  little  while  to  see  ef 
it's  asleep.  You  are  tryin'  your  soul  to 
see  how  it  feels,  each  pertickerler  minute. 
Sometimes,  you  go  ravin'  distracted  try- 
in'  to  get  it  blessed  so  't  you  kin  work 
fur  th'  Lord ;  when  all  that  you  or  any- 
body else  has  to  do,  is  to  take  hold  of  the 
nighest  thing  that  'dorter  be  done,  and 
simply  do  it  as  well  as  you  can,  with  the 
help  of  the  Lord." 

I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  look  very 
severe  when  Martha  Ann  repeated  that 


64  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

conversation.  But  I  couldn't  get  her  to 
own  up  that  she'd  oughtn't  to  a-said  it. 
She  just  told  me  that  a  religion  was  fust- 
class  that  made  fust-class  men  and 
women ;  and  that  she  hadn't  one  bit  of 
patience  with  a  religion  that  made  folks 
cantankerous.  She  said  they  was  better 
off  without  it.  That  'twasn't  Jesus  they'd 
got,  'twas  somebody  else !  Then  she 
went  and  left  me. 

No,  things  ain't  easy  :  but  I've  made 
up  my  mind  to  keep  up  courage  and  go 
ahead. 

The  first  thing  I  did  the  next  afternoon 
was  to  make  a  neighborly  call  onto  Mrs. 
Bemis.  I  knew  that  she  thought  I'd  come 
to  answer  back  about  her  call  onto  me  of 
the  day  previous  ;  for  she  greeted  me  very 
stiff,  and  settled  her  mouth  as  if  she'd 
made  all  up  what  she  was  going  to  say. 

But  I  didn't  give  her  no  chance,  I 
talked  about  the  commonest  things,  until 
the  look  onto  her  face  faded  into  her 
natural  expression.  Then,  as  I  got  up  to 


Tompkin's  Corner.  65 

go,  I  asked  her  to  come  over  and  help  me 
mother  all  those  young  folks  next  Satur- 
day evening.  That  I  was  certain,  from 
her  having  had  children  of  her  own,  that 
she  could  teach  me  some  excellent  lessons, 
and  that  I'd  been  thinking  of  asking 
some  one  about  my  own  age  to  come  and 
help  me. 

I  seen  in  a  minute  that  she  thought 
Martha  Ann  hadn't  told  me  a  word.  And 
a  relieved  and  comforted  look  came  over 
her.  She  held  back  a  good  deal ;  but  I 
said  I  should  expect  her. 

And,  if  you'll  believe  me,  when  Satur- 
day night  come,  she  come  too.  I  was 
real  glad,  but  Martha  Ann,  she  couldn't 
speak  for  amazement. 

'Twasn't  long  'fore  some  of  the  most 
talkative  ones  was  close  up  to  her.  Nellie 
Ray's  long  braid  was  loosened  at  the  end, 
and  she  asked  Mrs.  Bemis  to  finish  it  out 
for  her,  'cause  she  didn't  know  how  to 
braid  in  four  strands. 

Mrs-.  Bemis   just   took  a   hold,  like  a 


66  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

fancy  hair-dresser.  She  patted  and 
smoothed  it,  and  said  that  she  liked  to  see 
hair  done  that  way,  for  she  used  to  do 
her  little  daughter's  so  ;  and  it  was  just 
the  color  of  this,  when  she  died. 

The  next  thing  I  knew,  Nellie  had  one 
arm  around  Mrs.  Bemis'  neck  and  was 
kissing  her  and  wiping  her  eyes  with  a 
pretty  lace  handkercher.  I  stole  away 
jest  's  ef  I  hadn't  seen  it.  But,  taking 
hold  of  that  shiny  hair,  was  better  for  her 
than  a  dozen  talkings  to. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

In  Which  She  Tells  of  her  First 
Visit  to  an  Annual  Confer- 
ence and  an  Interview  with 
the  Bishop. 

"POLLEN  MARIA  and  I  have  been  to 
•*— '  Conference.  I  wa'n't  much  set  on 
going ;  but  she  said  I  must  know  some- 
thing about  the  machinery  that  run  our 
Church.  So  we  went  up  for  two  or  three 
days.  John  Wesley  met  us  at  the  train 
and,  when  we  was  safe  into  the  omnibus, 
he  let  fall  that  he  was  stopping  with  a 
Episcopal  fambly. 

I  asked  him  how  that  come  about,  and 
he  said  that  hospitable  members  of  other 
churches  opened  their  homes  at  such 

times,    as   the   members    of  the  church 

67 


68  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

where  the  conference  was  held  could  not 
entertain  so  many. 

I  wondered  why  ministers  didn't  go  to 
a  respectable  tavern  or  boarding-house  and 
pay  for  their  own  keep,,  like  respectable 
men.  I  forgot,  for  the  minute,  that  John 
Wesley  was  one  of  'em,  but  when  the 
color  flamed  into  his  face,  I  felt  like 
apologizing. 

Ellen  Maria's  gentle  voice  came  to  the 
rescue.  She  said  that  many  of  the  min- 
isters couldn't  afford  to  pay  a  hotel  bill 
and  the  expense  of  coining  to  the  con- 
ference too.  I  felt  sure  that  this  couldn't 
be  the  case  with  my  niece's  husband  ;  so 
I  said  it  must  be  a  pretty  poor  lot  of 
men  who  couldn't  stand  that.  And  John 
Wesley  said,  quite  bitter,  that  that  was 
just  what  they  were — a  very  poor  lot  of 
men. 

We  didn't  say  anything  more  onto  the 
subject,  just  then.  Someway,  none  of  us 
seemed  to  feel  like  talking.  That  old 
omnibus  a-rumbling  over  the  stones 


Tompkin's  Corner.  69 

wasn't  a  good  place  for  pondering.  I 
couldn't  get  hold  of  a  pleasant  thought. 

When  we  reached  the  hotel  I  pulled 
John  Wesley's  sleeve  and  asked  him  to 
get  two  of  the  very  best  rooms.  He 
opened  his  eyes  ;  but  done  so,  and  we  was 
taken  to  as  good  rooms  as  I  was  ever  into. 

When  we'd  got  b}^  ourselves,  I  went  up 
to  my  niece's  husband  and  says  I :  "  John 
Wesley,  remember  that  I  hain't  been  into 
the  church  long,  and  that  while  I'm  a  good 
deal  older  than  you  be,  I've  got  lots  of 
things  to  learn.  You  took  a  good  deal 
onto  3^our  hands  when  you  wrote  me  down 
as  a  probationer  into  your  church." 

Well,  he  looked  at  me  in  a  way  that 
made  it  perfectly  plain  to  my  mind  how 
Hllen  Maria  should  have  deliberately  mit- 
tened  that  rich  young  Hastings,  who  was 
wild  after  her,  to  take  up  with  a  man  what 
hadn't  a  acre  of  ground  to  his  name. 

"  You  dear  Auntie,"  says  he,  taking 
my  hands.  "  It  isn't  you.  It's  the  thing 
itself  that  stirred  me  up." 


70  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

I  passed  it  off  by  saying  that  if  he 
wasn't  stirred  up  at  me  he  must  prove  it 
by  presenting  his  respects  to  the  folks 
where  he'd  been  a-stopping  at,  and  telling 
them  that  his  wife  had  come  and  he  was 
going  to  stay  at  the  hotel  with  her.  So, 
he  come  along.  And  I  felt  better  when 
I  knew  that  Hllen  Maria's  husband  wasn't 
a  ministerial  tramp,  accepting  board  and 
lodging.  I  just  took  solid  comfort  paying 
that  hotel  bill. 

But,  when  John  Wesley  wasn't  around,  I 
kept  at  Ellen  Maria  till  I  found  out  that 
the  things  I'd  noticed  in  her  house  and 
hadn't  liked  because  they  seemed  too  sav- 
ing, had  been  matters  of  up  and  down 
necessity.  You  can  imagine  how  I  felt. 
Bvery thing  I've  got  goes  to  her,  some 
day,  and  she  could  have  a  yearly  allow- 
ance if  it  seemed  best. 

But  I  found  out  some  things  that  morn- 
ing that  was  good  for  me  to  know.  You 
see,  the  last  minister  had  seven  children 
and,  because  John  Wesley  didn't  have 


Tompkin's  Corner.  71 

any,  the  church  just  cut  his  salary  down, 
according.  Then,  on  top  of  that,  they 
paid  him  so  slow  that  'twas  next  to  onpos- 
sible  for  him  to  get  through.  And  he'd 
come  to  conference  with  two  hundred  dol- 
lars back  on  his  salary  that  he'd  never 
get — not  because  he  wasn't  liked,  for  they 
owned  up  that  the  church  had  growed 
more  than  it  had  in  many  a  year, — but 
because  they  was  usually  back  about  that 
sum. 

I  was  perfectly  shocked  and  asked  her 
how  they  ever  expected  to  get  another 
minister  if  they  cut  up  in  that  way.  And 
she  said  that  no  one  knew  of  it.  The 
church  wouldn't  tell,  and  the  minister 
was  too  proud  and  made  a  gift  of  the  two 
hundred  dollars,  so  as  to  have  it  go  onto 
the  records  that  his  church  was  as  good 
as  the  rest. 

"And  it  is,"  she  said.  "They  are 
nearly  all  so,  Auntie.  That's  what  dis- 
courages John  so." 

Then  I  said  that  I'd  like  to  know  what 


72  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

business  a  church  had,  anyway,  in  estimat- 
ing a  man's  salary  according  to  the  size 
of  his  fambly. 

She  said  as  how  that  it  begun  when 
folks  first  come  to  America,  and  were  so 
poor  that  they  could  hardly  get  food 
enough  to  put  into  their  mouths.  That 
ministers  used  to  meet  with  the  members 
of  the  scattered  churches  and  sit  down  and 
plan  as  to  the  very  least  they  could  get 
along  on.  They  done  it  cheerily  and  lov- 
ingly, because  they  wanted  to  help  souls. 

But  when  the  times  changed,  this  cus- 
tom didn't,  and  while  the  peoples'  purses 
got  full,  the  ministers'  stayed  empty. 
They  kept  up  the  old  farce  of  estimating 
how  little  he  could  get  along  on  though  the 
necessity  of  it  had  passed  "away.  That 
the  Methodist  Church  was  very  broad 
about  missionary  work  and  church  exten- 
sion and  such  like,  but  that  it  was  very 
narrow  and  inquisitive  about  the  expenses 
of  its  ministers'  families. 

Being  a  business   woman  I  naturally 


Tompkin's  Corner.  73 

got  excited ;  and,  though  Ellen  Maria 
had  spoke  very  calm,  as  if  it  was  a  thing 
to  be  regretted  but  could  not  be  helped,  I, 
not  having  the  sweet  temper  of  her 
mother,  didn't  feel  so  like  a  Lamb.  I 
said,  right  out  that  a  church  had  about  as 
much  occasion  to  reckon  onto  the  least 
possible  number  of  its  minister's  needs  as 
it  had  to  decide  upon  the  family  expenses 
of  the  man  what  put  up  its  lightning  rods. 
The  work  of  the  lightning-rod  man  was 
to  keep  the  building  from  fire.  And  the 
work  of  the  minister  was  to  help  save 
their  everlasting  souls,  according  to  their 
own  creed,  from  a  fire  that  meant  a  good 
deal  more.  (This  about  the  rods  come 
into  my  mind  because  I'd  just  paid  out 
a  good  deal  to  have  'em  put  onto  my 
house  and  barn.) 

Another  thing  that  added  to  John  Wes- 
ley's sensitiveness,  said  Ellen  Maria,  was 
that,  just  now,  his  father  was  a  wornout 
minister,  and  he  wanted  him  to  stop 
preaching  and  let  him  take  care  of  him 


74  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

and  the  mother,  if  he  could.  But  that 
while  the  places  giveu  to  young  men 
weren't  all  missionary  places,  the  mem- 
bers wanted  all  the  self-denial  to  come 
out  of  the  minister.  They  was  com- 
fortable :  but  he  must  take  what  he 
could  get. 

John  Wesley  said  that  if  'twan't  for  his 
father  and  mother  and  his  wife  he'd  go 
out  onto  the  borders  and  do  genuine 
pioneer  work ;  that  it  wasn't  heroism  that 
made  a  man  stand  by  a  comfortable-off 
church  and  take  just  whatever  they  had 
a  mind  to  hand  out  to  him.  He  said 
that  such  folks  didn't  buy  books  nor  take 
expensive  periodicals  and  they  wasn't 
qualified  to  decide  onto  a  man's  intellec- 
tual needs — let  alone  anything  else. 

Then,  I  thought  of  how  he'd  had  to 
lift  some  folks  in  Tompkin's  Corners,  al- 
most with  a  jack-screw,  so  as  to  get  'em 
up  to  taking  a  church  paper.  And  I  said 
to  myself  that  a  common  chore-boy  stood 
a  better  chance  for  his  rights. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  75 

Well,  we  was  kept  so  busy  'tending  the 
anniversaries  of  the  societies  that  these 
things  laid  quiet  into  a  corner  of  my  mind. 
My  heart  was  made  to  swell  with  pride  over 
our  greatest  religious  publishing  house  in 
the  world,  and  over  the  three  churches 
every  day  that  Methodism  is  a-building. 

My  soul  was  swung  away  up  to  the 
gates  of  Heaven  by  the  singing  of  a  man 
who  had  the  blackest  eyes,  and  the  whit- 
est smile,  and  the  most  heaven-born  en- 
thusiasm of  any  man  I  had  ever  seen.  I 
shan't  never  forget  the  song  where  he 
spoke  of  Christ's  image  being  smiled  onto 
our  hearts.  It  was  real  good  for  me  to  be 
there,  and  I  had  sense  enough  to  know  it. 

Well,  I  was  present,  likewise,  at  the 
close  of  the  conference,  when  the  Bishop 
read  off  the  appointments.  I  was  just 
fool  enough  to  up  and  cry  when  he  talked 
so  appealing  to  them  meek-faced  men, 
about  not  minding  what  kind  of  a  place, 
in  the  proverdence  of  God,  they  was  sent 
to,  because  they  should  be  thankful  to 


76  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

be  permitted  to  preach  at  all.  That  their 
Master  hadn't  a  place  to  lay  his  head ; 
and  a  lot  more  of  such  teching  stuff. 

Well,  after  he'd  got  'em  all  mellered 
up,  and  kind  of  anxious  to  go  out  and 
have  a  hard  time,  he  begun  reading  off 
'n  some  long  papers  he  held  into  his 
hands. 

"  Sech  a  deestrick,  sech  a  man,  presiding 
elder.  Sech  a  place,  so  and  so ;  sech  a 
place,  so  and  so,"  and  so  on. 

There  was  a  man  with  a  anxious  face 
onto  him  who  set  next  me.  When  "  sech 
a  place,  so  and  so,"  was  read,  he  caught 
his  breath  and  gave  a  little  groan,  and 
bent  his  head  in  a  little  and  a  little  more, 
until  it  got  away  down.  And  then  I  saw 
some  shiny  drops  fall  onto  the  floor. 

I  didn't  hear  any  more  of  the  appoint- 
ments. My  heart  jest  set  itself  a-listen- 
ing  to  that  man's  slow  sighs.  Finally, 
when  it  was  over  and  I  got  a  chance,  I 
said  to  him,  quiet  like. 

"  Tell  it  to  me.     I'm  old  enough  to  be 


Tornpkin's  Corner.  77 

your  aunt.  And  maybe  'twill  be  easier 
to  take  home  after  you've  onloaded  part 
of  it  onto  me." 

He  held  up  his  head  a  little  proud. 
But,  after  he'd  seen  into  my  face,  he 
seemed  to  relent.  "  I  don't  mind  for  my- 
self," said  he.  "But  for  her  and  the  boy. 
She's  set  her  heart  onto  his  going  to  col- 
lege— he's  such  a  bright  lad,  and  she's 
prepared  him  in  Greek,  Latin  and  mathe- 
matics. And  his  heart  is  set  on  it,  too. 
And  I'm  afraid,  he's  so  high-spirited  and 
has  worked  so  hard,  that  he'll  drop  away 
down  and  give  up  trying  to  be  somebody. 
It's  been  a  hard  fight.  I've  been  asked  for 
at  a  place  where  they  pay  two  hundred 
dollars  more  and  was  expecting  to  go ; 
but  the  Bishop  has  read  me  off  to  a  place 
what  pays  two  hundred  less  than  I've 
been  getting.  They're  building  a  church. 
Their  minister  has  just  died.  And  they 
expect  me  to  go  there  and  finish  that 
church.  I  don't  see  how  I'm  going  to 
tell  her  and  the  boy !  " 


78  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

It  showed  the  power  of  grace,  that  this 
man  could  take  another  man's  commands 
without  even  thinking  of  a  refusal.  But 
I  only  said : 

"  Hearten  up  if  you  possibly  can. 
Things  most  always  come  out  better  than 
they  look.  I've  got  a  relation  who's  a 
member  of  the  church  you  was  read  off  to. 
And  I'll  stir  him  up.  He's  close  on  money 
matters  :  but  I  know  how  to  stir  him  up  !  " 

Then  I  gave  him  a  handshake  and 
went  away.  But  all  night  long  I  seen 
them  tears  a-dropping,  and  heard  that 
smothered-up  sighing.  And  I  thought  of 
that  mother,  so  proud  of  her  boy  and,  be- 
fore I  knew  it,  I  was  wandering  away 
back  into  a  time  when  I  thought  that  I 
might  have  a  boy  of  my  own,  maybe.  I 
couldn't  help  it.  The  night  didn't  give 
me  a  wink  of  sleep.  Them  early  memories 
was  a-telling  on  me. 

The  next  morning,  when  we  went  to 
the  station,  there  was  the  Bishop  a-wait- 
ing  for  the  train  that  went  just  after  ourn. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  79 

Seeing  him  quite  upset  me,  I  couldn't 
help  going  up  and  speaking  to  him.  I 
said  I  hoped  he'd  excuse  me.  I  hadn't 
a  college  education  and  didn't  know  any- 
thing about  presiding  over  conferences. 
But  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  would  have 
been  a  good  deal  more  to  the  point,  if,  in- 
stead of  exhorting  all  them  care-worn 
ministers  to  take  whatever  was  in  store 
for  them  thankfully,  he  had  added  a  little 
to  the  store,  and  done  some  real  up-and- 
down  work  for  the  Lord  by  straightening 
out  some  of  them  laymen  who  set  around 
so  kind  of  serene,  to  listen. 

"  Jest  tell  'em  oncet,"  I  said,  "  how 
mis'able  stingy  the  most  of  'em  is,  when 
it  comes  to  paying  for  the  church  of  God, 
and  for  the  minister's  services  into  His 
Holy  Temple." 

This  sounded  as  though  I  was  warming 
up  into  eloquence  :  but  I  wasn't  going  to 
stop  on  that  account.  The  Bishop  just 
put  back  his  head  and  fixed  his  spectacles 
and  looked. 


80  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

"  But,"  says  I,  going  right  on,  "  just 
tell  'em  once,  that  they've  no  business 
to  let  their  church  look  like  a  barn  and 
their  parsonage  like  a  poor-house  ;  and  go 
to  estimating  just  how  miserably  little 
the  minister  and  his  fambly  can  live  on  : 
and  then  a-holding  on  to  the  miserable 
pittance  just  as  long  as  they  posserble  can  : 
and  handing  it  out  to  him  grudgingly ; 
and  making  him  feel  that  him  and  his 
fambly  hasn't  a  right  to  anything — that 
they  are  just  reg'lar  built  paupers.  And 
besides  that,"  says  I,  "  I  don't  think 
anything  of  your  cast-iron  rules  in  this 
nineteenth  century.  If  a  place  wants  a 
man  and  the  man  wants  the  place,  you 
ought  to  bring  it  around,  somehow,  it 
'pears  to  me." 

"  My  good  sister,"  says  the  Bishop, 
very  polite,  "  where  has  your  husband 
been  sent,  or  your  son,  maybe  ?  If  you 
had  come  to  me  sooner,  perhaps  it  could 
have  been  arranged." 

I  told  him  that  I  wan't  pleading  for  my 


Tompkiri's  Corner.  81 

own  self.  I  was  a  respectable,  comfor- 
table-off  maiden  woman  with  a  stiddy 
income  that  had  lately  been  consercrated 
to  the  Lord.  But  that  my  heart  could  be 
touched  by  a  sight  of  somebody's  else's 
troubles. 

Just  then  I  heard  the  train  whistle, 
and  said  "  good  morning,"  and  went 
away. 

The  Bishop  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed 
real  low,  for  a  Bishop.  After  we'd  got 
into  the  cars  I  explained  things  to  John 
Wesley  and  Hllen  Maria.  They  smiled 
sort  of  queer  and  John  Wesley  said,  in  a 
grim  way,  that  he  shouldn't  wonder  if 
the  Bishop  might  find  it  convenient  to  do 

some  pondering. 
6 


CHAPTER  IX 

Aunt  Blvira  Ponders  onto  the 
Division  Bxisting  between 
the  Young  and  the  Old  in 
the  Spiritual  Life  at  Tomp- 
kin's  Corners 

OENCB  going  to  work  in  the  church, 
^  there  ain't  so  much  time  as  you  might 
think  left  for  me  to  go  a-courting  of  the 
muses — as  folks  say  when  they  turn  lit- 
erary. 

The  thing  that's  troubled  me  lately,  is 
the  regular  Thursday  night  prayer-meet- 
ing. To  my  mind,  this  meeting  ought  to 
belong  to  old  and  young  alike  :  but  some 
way  it  don't  seem  to. 

After  the  young  folks  had  got  to  be 

more  interested  into  the  church  because 
82 


Tompkin's  Corner.  83 

the  old  folks  begun  to  be  more  interested 
in  them,  they  went  to  talking  about  hav- 
ing a  young  folks'  prayer-meeting  for 
Tuesday  nights.  It  troubled  me  a  good 
deal  and  I  just  asked  them  not  to  start 
that  meeting  for  a  few  weeks,  but  to  come, 
regular,  to  the  Thursday  night  meetings, 
and  take  hold  and  help  and  see  if  they 
couldn't  worry  along. 

Well,  they  done  so  ;  but  'stid  o'  things 
coming  out  as  I  had  hoped,  they  turned 
exactly  the  other  way.  And  that  Tues- 
day night  meeting  is  going  on.  One 
gulf  has  been  bridged  over  between  the 
old  and  the  young,  but  another  has  been 
dug.  And  there  hain't  nothing  left  to  me 
but  to  go  wandering  'round,  all  smiley 
and  chirruppy  outside,  trying  to  make 
the  best  of  it,  and  excuse  each  side  to  the 
other ;  but  with  my  heart  all  sore  and 
grieving  down  out  of  sight. 

Not  that  I  mind  the  young  folkses 
having  meetings  by  themselves  if  they 
can  only  come  with  all  the  church  on  to 


84  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

common  ground  in  the  middle  of  the  week. 
But  I  can  see  that  this  step  means  a  growth 
that  is  separate  and  not  side  by  side,  as 
the  young  oaks  over  on  the  hills  grow  up 
under  shelter  of  the  staunch  old  ones  that 
have  weathered  many  a  blast. 

Well,  while  the  young  folks  was  a-going 
to  the  Thursday  night  meetings,  as  I  asked 
them  to,  it  was  quite  natural  that  I  should 
begin  trying  to  look  through  young  eyes 
and  to  listen  with  young  ears.  As  I  done 
so,  my  heart  kept  growing  heavier  and 
heavier,  till,  at  last,  when  they  come  to  me 
and  said: 

"  Aunt  Elvira,  do  you  blame  us  ?  "  I 
had  to  swallow  pretty  hard,  but  I  couldn't 
say  that  I  did. 

I  was  coming,  against  my  will,  to  fear 
that  some  of  our  members  forget  that 
"  Christ  calls  us  to  simple  service  instead 
of  to  certain  set  ways."  I  begun  to  see  it 
more  clear-like  after  Nellie  Ray  come 
to  me  one  day  and  said — says  she : 

"  Auntie,  I'm  having  a  lot  of  trouble. 


TompkirTs  Corner.  85 

I  want  some  one  " — she  didn't  say  who  it 
was,  but  she  blushed  real  pretty  and, 
bless  you,  I  read  the  name  all  over  her 
face —  "  who  is  a  friend  of  mine,  to  be  a 
Christian.  He  seemed  to  think  very 
seriously  about  it  until  he  went  once  with 
me  to  prayer-meeting.  Then  he  said 
that  if  that  meant  religion  he  thought 
people  were  better  off  without  it.  And 
I  can't  do  anything  with  him  any 
more." 

Well,  after  she'd  gone,  I  set  to  ponder- 
ing. I'd  heard  Methodists  called  noisy 
and  old-fashioned  and  such  like  names  all 
my  days.  And  I'd  grown  to  expect  that  a 
regular-built  Methodist  meeting  would 
have  more  or  less  racket  crowded  into  it. 

But,  listening  in  my  heart  with  young 
ears,  I  began  to  wonder  concerning  the 
why  of  this,  until  it  begun — having  my 
attention  so  called  onto  it — to  seem  to  me 
that  the  old  members  kept  the  meetings 
noisy  because  they  thought  they  must ; 
and  that,  somehow,  they  felt  they  wasn't 


86  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

doing  their  whole  duty  unless  they  give 
matters  a  general  stirring  up. 

I  jest  thought  I'd  look  into  the  liberary 
of  my  niece's  husband  and  see  if  there 
was  good  and  sufficient  reason  for  such 
earrings  on.  If  there  was,  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  stand  by  it  till  grim  death. 

Well,  I  looked  into  them  books  and, 
amongst  other  things  very  strong  against 
vehemence  in  meetings,  I  found  that 
John  Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism 
said  : 

"  Only  see  that  your  heart  be  right 
toward  God,  that  you  know  and  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  you  love  your 
neighbor,  and  walk  as  your  Master 
walked,  and  I  desire  no  more.  I  am  sick 
of  opinions.  I  am  weary  to  hear  them. 
I\f|fc6oul  loathes  this  frothy  food.  Give 
me  solid  and  substantial  religion ;  give 
me  an  humble,  gentle  lover  of  God  and 
man." 

In  addition  to  this,  I  found  a  letter  he'd 
wrote  to  a  minister  reproving  him  for 


TompkirTs  Corner.  87 

using  violence  in  his  religious  exercises. 
You  can't  imagine  how  beat  out  I  was  ! 
It  took  my  breath  all  away.  I  just  set 
before  my  back-parlor  fire  that  night  with 
such  a  bewildered  air  that  Martha  Ann 
was  scared  nigh  about  to  death.  She 
went  and  brought  me  in  a  bowl  of  bone- 
set  tea,  and  insisted  upon  my  taking  of 
it  before  I  went  to  bed. 

I  seen  that  there  wan't  nothing  left 
but  just  to  tell  her  what  I  was  think- 
ing onto,  or  else  to  drink  that  bowl  of 
boneset.  So  I  dog-nosed  my  case,  as  it 
were,  and  proved  to  her  that  it  was  some- 
thing that  couldn't  be  reached  by  boneset 
tea. 

I  begun  by  calling  up  our  labors — hern 
and  mine — to  get  the  young  folks  inter- 
ested into  the  church.  Then  I  told  her 
that  it  had  suddenly  come  over  me,  as  I 
set  pondering  one  day,  that  the  young 
and  the  old  was  leading  their  spiritual 
lives  along  different  lines ;  and  as  far 
apart  as  morning  is  from  evening,  with 


88  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

the  dawning-glory  of  Heaven  into  one 
and  into  the  other,  a  fading  light. 

I  read  out  loud  to  her  some  of  the 
words  of  the  great  founder  of  Methodism 
that  had  so  upset  me.  Well,  she  just  got 
up  out  of  her  chair  and  set  that  bowl  of 
boneset  tea  onto  the  mantel,  and  stood 
bolt  upright  afore  me  and  says  she  : 

"  Miss  Hopkins,  you've  made  me  a 
happy  woman."  She  stopped  and  swal- 
lered  real  hard,  and  looked  into  the  fire- 
and  shet  her  eyes  over  and  over  again. 
Then  she  fired  up  and  says  she  :  "  Bf 
that's  so,  then  how  should  the  common 
idee  of  Methodism  be  so  different  ?  Who's 
been  lying  about  a  church  for  all  of  these 
years,  I'd  like  to  know  ?  Bf  what  you've 
read  to  me  is  true,  then  Methodism  is 
suffering  cause  there's  a  big  misunder- 
standing into  the  minds  of  most  folks,  as 
to  what  its  real  sperret  is.  And  it's  our 
business  to  go  to  work  a-correctin'  of  them 
wrong  impressions  to  oncet !  Why,  it's 
the  blessedest,  sweetest  creed  under  the 


Tompkin's  Corner.  89 

sun.  A  baby  could  see  straight  through 
it.  It  ain't  the  kind  that  'ud  orter  go 
'long  with  uproar." 

I  tried  to  quiet  her,  but  'twan't  any  use. 
If  Martha  Ann  once  gets  started,  she 
will  have  her  say  out,  and  there's  no 
standing  in  the  way  of  it. 

"  Now,  there's  old  Mr.  Harpending," 
says  she,  agoing  right  on,  "  who's  always 
praying  on  top  of  his  voice  for  the  '  peace 
that  floweth  like  a  river,'  and  the  'joy 
that  is  onspeakable.'  Now,  his  peace 
couldn't  flow  like  a  river,  ef  it  wanted  to. 
It's  a  reg'lar  hot  spring,  or  a  spoutin' 
geyser — like  them  what  the  Geography 
tells  'bout  'way  down  there  in  Arkansas. 
An'  I  jest  thought  last  Thursday  night 
when  he  was  prayin',  an'  I  seen  the  sex- 
ton keepin'  a  kind  o'  anxious  eye  onto 
the  cracked  plas'tring  just  over  his  head, 
I  thought  to  myself,  thinks  I,  Ef  there 
is  a  joy  what  it  ain't  posserble  fur^?#  to 
speak  of,  Hezekiah  Harpending,  then  it 
must  be  a  climaxer  !  " 


90  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Martha  Ann  knowed  that  I  wouldn't 
like  such  goings  on,  and  after  she'd  freed 
her  mind,  she  didn't  give  me  no  chance  to 
say  a  word.  She  jest  took  that  bowl  of 
boneset  tea  off'n  the  mantel,  and  went  out 
as  fast  as  her  legs  would  carry  her. 

After  she'd  gone  I  set  still  till  the  fire 
went  out,  and  my  rheumatiz  begun  to 
call  my  mind  offen  th'  church  and  fasten 
it  onto  myself.  But,  all  the  while,  I 
couldn't  help  owning  up  that  Martha  Ann 
had  expressed  my  feelings  'long  side  o' 
hern. 

If  the  Thursday  night  meeting  is  for 
prayer,  and  if  prayer  means  that  we  are 
asking  things  of  the  Lord,  then  we'd  orter 
come  into  His  house  and  speak  to  Him  as 
respectful  as  we  would  to  our  next-door 
neighbor.  If  I  wanted  to  borrer  some 
sugar  of  Mrs.  Bates,  now — which  I  never 
do,  being  forehanded  in  perviding  fur  my 
table — would  I  go  and  stand  into  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  and  stamp  and  wring 
my  hands  and  scream  on  to  the  top  of  my 


Tompkin's  Corner.  91 

voice  ?  Why  I'd  scare  her  to  death. 
She'd  think  me  a  gone  lunatic.  And 
she'd  have  a  right  to  think  so,  too. 

I  don't  know  what  to  do.  It's  my  na- 
ture— not  being  one  of  the  clinging  sort, 
from  never  having  had  nobody  to  cling  to 
— to  feel  drawn  to  do  whatever  seems  to 
need  doing.  But  it'll  take  a  deal  of  ponder- 
ing to  screw  up  my  courage  to  the  sticking 
point,  this  time. 


CH AFTER X 

She  is  of  the  Opinion  that 
Christians,  Taking  Them  as 
They  Run,  Are  about  as 
Touchy  as  Musicians  ever 
Thought  of  Being 

A  FTBR  I'd  had  that  narrer  escape  from 
the  boneset  tea,  Martha  Ann's  words 
kep'  a-ringing  into  my  ears,  "  It  is  our 
business,  as  Methodists,  to  go  to  work 
a-correcting  of  them  wrong  impressions  to 
once  !  " 

Somehow,  I  begun  to  feel  more  and  more 
tender-like  toward  the  great  Church,  and 
toward  the  little  circle  at  Tompkin's 
Corners,  as  being  the  part  that  I  was,  as 
far  as  one  name  on  the  church  record  can 

go,  pertickeler  responsible  for.     It  begun 
92 


Tompkin's  Corner.  93 

to  kind  o'  hurt  my  feelings  to  know  that 
anybody  could  see  things  in  its  methods 
of  religious  service  what  they  could  laugh 
at  or  make  sort  o'  slighting  remarks 
onto.  Queer,  but  that's  come  to  be  my 
feelings  straight  along. 

Well,  I  was  considable  wrought  up,  in 
a  quiet  way.  Nobody  but  Martha  Ann 
guessed  of  the  fires  within  ;  and  she  didn't 
let  on.  Only  she  begun  to  look  at  me,  as 
the  days  went  by  and  nothing  wan't  done, 
with  a  sort  of  disappointed  look  onto  her 
face,  as  though  I  wasn't  coming  up  to  the 
mark,  for  once. 

But,  you  see,  I  know  my  failings 
better 'n  anybody  else — except  the  Lord — 
and  I  just  waited  and  prayed  for  a  calm 
sperit — not  being  so  sweet-hearted  an' 
gentle-spoken  as  Ellen  Maria's  mother 
was — so  that  I  shouldn't  disgrace  my 
perfession,  even  if  the  pressure  was  pretty 
heavy. 

As  last  I  felt  that  the  time  had  come. 
It  was  my  usual  custom  to  stay  into  Sun- 


94  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

day  school  after  the  morning  preaching, 
and  go  into  Mr.  Pease's  Bible  class.  He's 
an  ole  man.  But  he's  growed  ole  like  a 
great  pine,  and  though  he's  strong  in 
thought,  he's  so  quiet-like  in  speech  that, 
whenever  he  gets  up  in  meeting,  the  noisi- 
est of  'em  have  to  keep  still,  because  they 
know  they'll  lose  something  wuth  hear- 
ing ef  they  don't. 

Sometimes,  because  the  members  urge 
it  on  me  so,  I've  gone  into  the  Sunday 
noon  class,  led  by  Hezekiah  Harpending. 
I'd  pondered  this  subjick  and  made  up 
my  mind  that  this  class-meeting  was  the 
place  for  me  to  speak  out  into,  about  our 
not  being  too  free  in  our  carrying  of  the 
Ark  of  the  Lord. 

I'd  came  to  this  conclusion  because, 
the  Sunday  before,  when  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday  School  had  said, 
"  Let  us  bow  our  heads  in  silent  prayer 
for  a  moment,"  at  the  opening  of  the 
school,  there  had  come  such  waves  of  up- 
roar from  that  class-room,  two  doors  away, 


Tompkin's  Corner.  95 

as  must  have  druv  all  feelings  of  devotion 
from  every  heart  but  the  most  saintly — 
and  mine  wasn't  one  of  'em. 

I  had  seen  the  young  folks  nudge  each 
other  and  smile :  the  small  boys  snick- 
ered, and  a  sort  of  baffled  look  came  over 
the  superintendent's  face,  as  though  it 
would  be  hard  to  get  the  school  in  hand 
again  for  that  day. 

So,  I  made  up  my  mind,  as  the  uproar- 
ious ones  was  in  the  habit  of  stopping  in 
that  class,  that  I'd  just  go  in  there  and, 
while  they  was  feeling  blessed,  'twould  be 
good  a  time  to  speak  to  them  on  the  subjick 
that  was  so  near  my  heart.  It  wan't  wise. 
I  see  it  now.  But  human  nature  is  a 
harder  thing  to  study  out  and  make  sure 
on  than  any  sum  that  ever  come  into  a 
college  course  anywhere. 

Providence  seemed  to  favor  my  plans, 
for  John  Wesley  Gray,  our  young 
preacher,  preached  as  I'd  never  hearn 
him  before.  The  subjick  was  Christian 
Sacrifice.  The  heart  of  every  one  was 


96  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

tender.  Some  of  'em  was  ready  to  break 
down  with  feeling.  So  the  noon  class 
was  bigger  than  usual, — for  I've  noticed 
that  if  they  get  something  pretty  good 
from  the  pulpit,  they  usual  go  into  the 
class  to  talk  onto  it  and  to  have  a  good 
time. 

Well,  it  was  most  special  that  day. 
I  had  to  learn  that  most  of  the  human 
race  enjoy  being  made  martyrs  of  ;  and  the 
thought  of  Christian  sacrifice  laid  along 
that  line.  They  opened  up  the  meeting  by 
starting  the  hymn  what  has  into  it 

"  We  should  expect  some  danger  near 
Where  we  possess  delight." 

And  while  a  few  of  'em  sung,  the  heft 
of  'em  groaned.  But  I  hoped  and  prayed, 
silent-wise,  in  my  heart. 

We  knelt  down.  Old  Mr.  Storms  was 
asked  to  lead.  I  pondered  onto  his  prayer 
and,  to  save  my  life,  I  couldn't  help  a- 
saying  over  to  myself  them  words  from 
Scripture,  "  as  one  who  beateth  the  air," 


Tompkin's  Corner.  97 

because  it  didn't  seem  possible  that  the 
man  could  feel  that  his  words  was  going 
straight  to  a  great  Heart  that  was  so  ten- 
der and  loving  that  it  poured  out  its  life- 
blood  for  mistaken  and  wandering  souls. 
If  he  had  felt  that,  it  would  a-seemed 
more  kinder  natural  if  he'd  sort  of  nestled 
close  up  to  that  great  heart,  and  had  a- 
had  something  like  awe  in  his  manner — 
because  he  was  a-daring  to  draw  nigh  to 
something  what  was  'way  beyond  his  com." 
prehension. 

We  rose  from  our  knees  and  some  one 
struck  up,  in  a  voice  that  would  have 
woke  up  them  seven  Greek  sleepers  in 
less  than  no  time, 

"  My  drowsy  powers  why  sleep  ye  so  ?  " 

The  leader  gave  in  his  testimony  first 
of  all.  He  talked  about  the  blessedness 
of  Christian  sacrifice,  and  every  once  in  a 
while,  he  rose  up  onto  his  toes  and  then 
let  himself  down,  suddint,  onto  his  heels 
with  a  jar  that  rattled  the  window.  And 
7 


98  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

whenever  he  done  so,  a  passel  of  'em 
cried  out. 

The  Bible  asks  twice,  clost  together  in 
the  Psalms,  "  Preserve  me,  oh  Lord,  from 
the  violent  man ! "  and,  in  the  New 
Testament,  the  apostle  says,  "  Bodily  ex- 
ercise profiteth  nothing."  I  ain't  very 
•well  up  in  Scripture  quoting,  but  the  lit- 
tle I  do  know,  had  an  oncomfortable  way  of 
turning  up  that  morning.  I  shet  my 
eyes  hard  and  when  they  opened  they  fell, 
by  chance,  onto  Jane  BUsworth.  She's 
fifty  ef  she  is  a  day.  But  she  looked  so 
holy  and  sweet  that  I  forgot  that  her 
cheeks  had  lost  their  color  and  that  the 
dimples  about  her  mouth  had  turned  into 
lines  long  ago. 

I  jest  couldn't  keep  my  eyes  off'n  her. 
And  I  thought,  "  Now  she's  going  to 
shout."  But  she  didn't.  There  was  the 
rim  of  a  smile  that  meant  Heaven  'stid  of 
earth  a-glimpsing  out  of  her  eyes  and 
mouth  and  shining  all  over  her  face — as 
ef  she  was  kinder  circled  'round  with  peace. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  99 

And  when  somebody  near  her  hollered 
right  out,  I  seen  a  kind  of  sudden  shiver 
come  over  her.  Thinks  I  to  myself, 
"  She  ain't  that  kind.  It  was  left  out  en 
her  constitution." 

Just  then  come  my  turn.  Feeling 
strengthened  by  her  look  I  got  up  and 
told  them,  in  the  gentlest  way  that  a  stiff 
maiden-woman  can — who's  got  to  be  sort  of 
hard-mannered  through  doing  her  own 
battling  through  life, — that  I'd  missed  so 
many  years  of  working  for  the  Church  that 
I'd  got  to  work  the  harder  the  rest  of  my 
days.  Then  I  spoke  of  the  young  folks, 
and  the  smile  onto  Jane  Ellsworth's  face 
got  whiter  and  sweeter,  and  my  own  voice, 
that  carries  me  straight  through  most 
everything,  sort  of  bent  and  weakened  till 
I  thought  I'd  never  get  out  what  I'd 
started  to  say. 

And  I  told  'em  how  I'd  felt  about  the 
young  folks  going  off  by  theirselves  to 
pray  and  to  speak.  And  I  said  a  word  or 
two  about  John  Wesley,  the  founder,  that 


100  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

seemed  to  put  an  awful  feeling  around 
onto  the  meeting.  It  struck  like  an 
ague  chill. 

But  I  went  on  and  told  them  that  Christ 
himself  said,  over  and  over,  "  Feed  my 
lambs,"  but  that  we  couldn't  get  near 
enough  to  them,  spiritually,  if  we  went  to 
work  and  scairt  'em  to  death.  Then  I 
stopped  by  saying  that  I  wasn't  nothing 
but  a  blunderer,  any  way,  and  that  most 
probable,  I  hadn't  said  things  as  I'd 
ought  to  ;  but  that  my  heart  was  getting 
tenderer  every  day.  And  when  they 
talked  of  Christian  sacrifice,  it  looked  to 
me  's  if  here  was  a  chance  to  sacrifice  our 
own  good  times  in  the  social  meetings, 
and  not  ask  for  all  the  sacrifice  to  be  done 
by  them  as  was  so  young  and  childlike 
in  the  way. 

I  told  them  that  I  believed  the  Lord 
would  help  us  to  grow  spiritually  just 
the  same,  because  he  let  other  things 
grow  without  their  making  any  fuss  about 
it.  The  flowers  never  make  a  noise  when 


Tompkin's  Corner.  101 

they  bloom  out,  and  the  great  trees  just 
reach  and  reach  their  branches  up  toward 
the  sun  and  get  stronger  every  day.  And 
they  don't  make  the  least  bit  of  a  racket 
about  it. 

I  set  down.  It  didn't  take  near  so  long 
for  me  to  say  it  as  to  write  it.  But  I  was 
clean  beat  out.  Then  Hezekiah  Har- 
pending  cleared  his  throat  and  perceeded 
to  exhort  me.  He  said  that  he'd  felt  for 
some  time  that  I  was  "  a  stone  of  stumb- 
ling and  a  rock  of  offense"  to  the  further 
progress  of  this  church.  That  I  hadn't 
no  right  to  critercize  their  ways  of  doing 
things,  for  I  wasrft  nothing  but  an  old 
warmed-up  Presbyterian,  any  way. 

I  don't  know  another  thing  that  was 
said  or  spoke.  When  the  meeting  broke 
up,  Jane  Ellsworth  came  up  to  me  and 
took  both  my  hands  into  hern  and  kissed 
me  on  the  cheek.  She  didn't  say  a  word, 
but  went  out  with  me,  and  walked  clost  to 
me  all  the  way  to  my  gate — though  her 
own  home  is  on  the  other  side  of  the 


102  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

corners.  And  she  ain't  strong  enough  to 
walk  fur.  I  tried  to  be  perlite  and  ask  her 
to  come  in  ;  but  she  just  took  my  hand 
agin  and  squeezed  it  and  went  away. 

Well,  I  got  through  the  day  and  the 
other  days  next  onto  it.  My  young 
pastor  hearn  about  it  and  come  to  get  my 
side.  I  told  him  jest  the  wust  that  I  really 
said  and  I  wound  up  by  saying :  "  You 
took  a  good  deal  onto  your  hands  when  you 
wrote  me  down  as  a  member  into  your 
church." 

And  what  do  you  s'pose  he  said? 
"  Why,"  says  he,  "  Aunt  Elvira,  if  there 
were  more  like  you  in  the  church,  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  would  come  several 
thousand  years  sooner  than  it  is  expected 
now,  God  bless  you  !  ): 

I  was  clean  beat  out. 

But  I've  gone  right  on  acting  as  ef 
nothing  hadn't  happened.  Some  was 
'feard  that  I'd  withdraw^and  go  to  the 
Presbyterians.  But,  bless  you,  I  ain't 
that  kind.  I  don't  go  and  git  a  divorce 


Tompkin's  Corner.  103 

from  a  church,  just  'cause  everybody  into 
it  don't  do  as  I  want  'em  to.  I  meant  it 
for  life  when  I  joined.  And  I'll  stay 
through  life  if  they'll  let  me. 

But,  when  I  set  pondering  by  my  back 
parlor  fire,  the  thought  that  comes  to  my 
mind  is  that  we  ought  to  live  and  act,  in 
the  church  as  well  as  out  of  it,  with  the 
beautiful  dignity  of  king's  sons  and 
daughters.  We  hain't  got  no  right  to  do 
otherwise,  we  hain't.  It's  a  sweet  and 
sacred  thing  to  be  allowed  to  come  nigh 
to  the  great  Ruler  of  Heaven  and  Earth. 
And  we  ought,  at  least,  to  use  as  nice 
manners  as  we  would  if  we  was  going  to 
the  White  House  to  ask  a  favor  of  the 
President. 

We  wouldn't  go  there  without  behaving 
our  very  prettiest.  We'd  go  in  quiet-like. 
Maybe  we'd  smile,  gladly,  at  any  others 
what  was  there  a-asking,  too,  'cause 
'twould  be  pleasant  to  find  'em  there, 
'n,  maybe,  we'd  shake  hands  and  speak 
to  'em,  kind  o'  cheery. 


104  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

And  when  it  come  our  turn  to  speak  to 
the  President,  we'd  be  sort  of  respeckful. 
We'd  want  to  get  his  good  opinion  as  we 
went  along  in  our  petition.  And  if  we 
had  something  very  particular — like  ask- 
ing for  the  pardon  of  some  friend — we'd 
be  real  earnest  and  we'd  cry  some,  per- 
haps ;  but  we'd  be  awful  keerful  to  re- 
member that  we  was  asking  for  great 
things  from  somebody  what  was  able  to 
give  or  to  refuse.  And  we'd  be  awful  keer- 
ful not  to  give  him,  nor  nobody  else,  the 
idea  that  we  was  bent  onto  having  our 
own  way  ;  anyhow  we'd  be  mighty  keerful 
not  to  rile  the  President. 

I've  heern  about  a  book  what  a  big 
Perfessor  from  Kurope  wrote  onto  "  Nat- 
ural Law  in  the  Spiritual  World."  I 
hain't  read  it,  not  being  no  book-worm : 
yet  many's  the  time  that  I've  just  said 
them  words  over  to  myself,  "  Natural  Law 
in  the  Spiritual  World."  We  hain't  got, 
nowheres  else  to  learn  heavenly  manners 
'cept  on  earth.  Christ  knew  we  hadn't. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  105 

So  He  come  to  teach  us  how  to  forget 
ourselves  in  remembering  to  try  to  help 
others.  But  I'm  afeard  a  lot  of  us  forget 
what  we  call  high-breeding  when  we 
come  into  the  court  of  Heaven.  And  it 
don't  seem  the  properest  thing  to  do,  and, 
as  you  may  believe,  I've  give  to  this 
pertickerler  subjick  a  good  deal  of  honest 
pondering. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Martha  Ann  Shows  her  Affec- 
tion in  a  Peculiar  Manner, 
and  Afterward  Expatiates 
upon  the  Liability  of  Man- 
kind to  Misunderstand  Each 
Other 

T  WAS  surprised  and  disturbed,  a  few 
weeks  ago,  by  the  queer  goings  on  of 
Martha  Ann.  This  is  the  way  the  matter 
come  about :  You  see  I  simply  went  out 
one  afternoon  to  look  after  a  fambly  what 
had  been  having  a  deal  o'  trouble — one 
way  and  another — who  needed  hearten- 
ing up  a  little  with  some  of  the  sub- 
stantials  of  life. 

Now,  it  seems  that  whilst  I  was  gone, 

Martha  Ann  remembered  that  it  was  the 
1 06 


Tompkin's  Corner.  107 

day  of  the  week  when  my  church  paper, 
onto  which  I  set  much  store,  was  in  the 
habit  of  coming.  So,  when  it  was  time 
for  the  stage,  she  just  clapped  on  her 
bunnit  and  went  to  fetch  it,  so  as  to  have 
it  ready  fur  me  when  I'd  drunk  my  tea. 

I  was  a  spec  later  a-coming  than  she 
expected — owing  to  my  staying  by  the 
sick  baby  while  its  mother  took  a  little 
rest.  And  while  Martha  Ann  was  a- 
waiting,  she  thought  she'd  take  a  dip  into 
the  paper  to  while  away  time.  She  didn't 
hear  me  when  I  come,  till  I  opened  the 
dining-room  door — sudden-like,  being  that 
I  was  late — when  she  give  a  jump,  and  I 
noticed  that  she  crumpled  up  something 
she  had  into  her  hands,  and  went  out  into 
the  kitchen  as  if  I'd  a-ketched  her  doing 
of  something  wrong. 

She  come  in  after  quite  a  spell  and 
brung  my  tea.  But  she  spilt  it  onto  the 
tablecloth  as  she  was  a-setting  of  it  down. 
I  didn't  notice  that,  particular;  but  she 
begun  to  talk  surprisin'  fast.  And  when 


108  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

I  looked  up  I  seen  that  her  eyes  was 
snappiii'  and  her  cap  was  onto  one  side 
of  her  head. 

I  was  sure  something  was  up.  And  I 
waited  for  her  to  tell.  I  give  to  her 
several  real  good  chances.  But  she 
didn't  tell.  Then  I  went  to  feeling  'round 
with  some  questions  as  to  whether  any- 
body had  called — for,  you  see,  I  remem- 
bered how  the  so-called  Free  Methodists 
had  been  there  once  when  I  was  away, 
and  how  they'd  fired  her  all  up. 

But  she  said  as  how't  uobody'd  been  in. 
Then  I  asked  if  she'd  been  out ;  and  she 
said  she  had.  She'd  been  to  the  post- 
office  and  had  a  letter  for  me  and  forgot 
to  hand  it  to  me.  She  sprung  up  with  a 
sort  of  relieved  fling  to  her  head,  and 
handed  me  the  letter. 

Arter  a  while,  I  begun  to  miss  my 
paper.  So  I  asked  her  if  she  hadn't  got 
it  from  the  office.  Then  she  asked  me 
what  I  wanted  of  that  old  paper,  anyway. 
That  it  wan't  of  no  account,  noway,  and 


TompkirTs  Corner.  109 

I'd  good  deal  better  be  reading  of  my 
Bible ! 

I  looked  at  her,  stiddy,  for  a  minute, 
and  then  said :  "  I  don't  understand  you, 
Martha  Ann.  I  think  a  good  deal  of  you 
and  of  your  advice,  but  I  don't  like  to 
have  it  flung  at  me  this  way." 

She  didn't  say  anything.  She  just 
went  out  and  shut  the  door  harder  than 
was  at  all  necessary.  She  was  feeling 
very  uncomfortable ;  and  it  upset  me  a 
good  deal. 

The  next  afternoon,  when  the  stage 
come  in,  I  went  over  after  the  mail ;  and 
not  finding  this  pertickerler  paper,  spoke 
of  it  to  the  postmaster.  Now  he's  a  very 
careful  man  about  the  mail.  He  said 
that  he'd  gave  it  to  Martha  Ann  the  day 
afore.  He  remembered  special,  'cause  she 
said  I  was  allers  so  glad  to  get  it, 

I  went  home  with  my  mind  made  up 
to  have  it  out  with  her.  She  tried  to  put 
me  off.  I  wouldn't  be  put  off.  Finally 
she  said,  with  a  little  shake  into  her 


110  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

voice,  that  she  was  jest  a-trying  to  save 
me  from  feeling  bad.  But  that  if  I  would, 
I  would,  and  she  might  a  knowed  it ! 

Then  she  went  out  and,  after  a  long 
spell,  brung  me  the  paper.  It  had  been 
wrinkled  all  up  and  then  ironed  out  again. 
As  I  unfolded  it  she  sort  of  hovered  around 
me  till  I  looked  up  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  anyway?  I  don't 
see  anything  that  makes  me  feel  bad." 

Then  she  laid  her  long  finger  onto  a 
place  on  the  front  page.  "  There's  some- 
body as  has  been  writin'  a  piece  to  sort  o- 
anser  what  you  said  into  the  class-meetin'," 
she  said.  "  There's  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Galusha  Goings — and  I  can't  see  how 
a  mother  with  a  heart  into  her  buzzum 
could  name  her  innercent  boy  Galusha. 
Still,  I  don't  know  but  what  you'd  orter 
expect  almost  anything  from  a  woman 
who  was  fool  enough  to  marry  herself  to 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Goings. 

"  Well,  this  brother  is  a-takin'  of  you 
to  do,  because  he  thinks  you  don't  see  the 


TompkirTs  Corner.  Ill 

precise  saving  quality  there  is  in  a  religion 
what  consists,  mostly,  of  racket.*  And  he 
says  you'd  better  try  to  keep  church 
members  away  from  the  theatres  and 
shows,  an'  stop  'em  of  their  card  playin' 
— 'stid  of  tryin'  to  quiet  of  'em  down. 

"  Jest's  if  we  hain't  worked,  'n  contrived, 
'n  spent  money,  'n  urged  other  members 
to  open  their  housen,  an'  all  fur  th'  special 
purpose  of  giving  the  young  folks  of 
Tompkin's  Corners  somethin'  to  do  'side 
from  playin'  cards  'n  sech  truck.  It  all 
jest  goes  to  show  how't  a  man  will  mis- 
understand everything,  anyway.  I  don't 
set  no  stock  by  men.  They're  the  most 
misunder standing est  set  I  ever  hearn  tell 
on!" 

I  didn't  say  anything  immediate,  for 
those  words  of  Martha  Ann's  about  its 
being  easy  for  a  man  to  misunderstand 
things,  took  my  thoughts  too  fur  away  to 
care  about  the  paper  or  what  anybody 
could  say  now,  into  a  time  when  my  life 
was  young  and  my  words  come  straight 


112  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

outen  a  merry  heart.  And  when  some- 
thing I  said  once  in  the  happy  twilight 
was  misunderstood  by  the  one  man  whose 
right  thought  of  me  made  all  my  joy  ; 
and  how  I  could  not  set  the  matter 
straight,  though  I  tried  as  well  as  I  could 
with  a  heart  that  was  breaking. 

After  a  little,  I  said  to  Martha  Ann, 
"  Well,  never  mind.  We  are  not  to 
blame  for  being  misunderstood.  We  are 
only  to  blame  if  we  don't  do  ou^  best 
with  all  our  might." 

Then  I  read  the  letter  into  the  paper, 
and  it  surprised  me  a  good  deal.  The 
writer  of  it  seemed  to  show  very  little 
knowledge  of  the  ways  of  such  churches 
as  ours  at  Tompkin's  Corners.  I  don't 
set  up  to  being  much  of  a  traveler,  but 
I've  seen  quite  a  number  of  churches 
offen  the  same  piece  as  a  portion  of  ourn 
is.  And  that  is,  having  a  set  of  folks  who 
seem  to  measure  their  own  spiritual  stature 
by  their  ability  to  make  prayer-meet- 
ings and  class-meetings  oncomfortable 


Tompkin's  Corner.  113 

for  other  folks.  I  wouldn't  a-been  sur- 
prised if  some  college  perfessor  or  doctor 
of  divinity  had  a-criticized  my  way  of 
talking  about  what  we  wanted  into  the 
church  :  but  to  hev  a  man  setting  up  in 
the  church  paper  to  please  the  Hezekiah 
Harpending  folks,  'stid  o'gently  nourish- 
ing the  lambs  and  shy  ones  of  the  flock, 
beat  me  clean  out. 

Trying  to  help  somebody  else  sort  of 
dignifies  anybody's  life — makes  it  seem 
more  worth  while  to  keep  on  a-living. 
Being  simply  sot  on  gitting  saved  our- 
selves in  jest  the  pertickerler  way  that 
gratifies  our  feelings  without  thinking 
that,  may  be,  we're  kind  o'  upsetting  some- 
body's else  faith  in  the  unselfishness  of 
Christians — that's  what  I  call  crippling 
to  the  soul. 

I've  found  out,  to  my  sorrer,  that  it's 
dangerous  ground  onto  which  I'm  tread- 
ing. I'm  tender  in  my  heart  toward  all 
the  members  ;  and  surely  tender  to  those 
who  seem,  to  me  to  be  misguided  some- 


114  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

what,  when  they  can  so  blindly  shut 
their  eyes  to  the  number  of  lambkins 
what  are  scairt  away  from  our  church, 
every  year,  by  being  made  to  think  that 
if  they  hope  to  be  counted  amongst  the 
saved  ones,  they  must  get  into  working 
themselves  up  into  a  certain  pitch  of  ex- 
citement in  every  social  religious  meeting. 

There  be  times — God  be  praised  for 
'em  ! — when  the  most  timid  would  rejoice 
in  hallelujahs.  But  we'd  orter  be  real 
careful  not  to  set  others  to  believing  that 
our  pertickerler  denomination  understands 
that  the  meeting-house  and  not  the  secret 
place,  is  where  we  can  give  unbounded 
vent  to  our  feelings  and  emotions. 

It's  easy  enough  to  cry,  "  O,  how  I  love 
Thy  Church  !  "  but  we  should  take  spe- 
cial pains  not  to  let  anyone  get  to  think- 
ing that  our  love  for  the  Church  means 
simply  our  love  for  a  certain  effusive  way 
of  doing  things — a  way  that,  mostly, 
wastes  itself  in  cries.  We  don't  want  them 
to  hear  only  great  big  prayers  for  grace 


Tompkin's  Corner.  115 

to  do  God's  work  with,  and  then,  if  they 
happen  to  look  at  us  outside  of  the  meeting, 
let  them  get  sad  at  heart  a-seeing  of  what 
paltry  work  follers  onto  them  prayers. 

May  I  be  forgave  by  Him  of  whom  the 
prophet  wrote  that  He  should  not  cry, 
neither  should  His  voice  be  heard  in  the 
streets,  if  I  love  the  mellow,  steady  light 
of  God's  grace  shining  morning,  noon  and 
night,  through  every  day  of  the  year  out  of 
a  Christian  life,  better  than  I  can  love  the 
blazing  and  cracking  of  fireworks  that 
are  just  let  off  at  odd  spells,  whenever 
folks  happen  to  feel  in  the  cracker  and 
rocket  mood. 

Perhaps  it's  foolish,  and  I  may  be  into 
my  second  childhood,  but,  because  I'm 
laying  out  on  the  Church  the  love  that  I 
would  have  give  to  husband  and  children 
and  toddling  grandchildren,  I  say  to  my- 
self whenever  I  see  a  young  man  what's 
losing  interest  because  of  certain  cast- 
iron  ways  of  conducting  prayer-meeting, 
says  I,  "  What  ef  he  was  my  son  ?  "  And 


116  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

then  I  think  as  how't  I  couldn't  stand  by, 
peaceable,  and  see  the  Church  a-losing  of 
its  hold  onto  him. 

Or,  whenever  a  light-hearted,  gentle 
young  woman,  who  has  loving  friends  all 
circling  'round  her  in  this  beautiful  world, 
conies  to  me  and  says  that  she  likes  to  go 
to  a  church  where  God's  service  seems  to 
be  something  fair  and  lifting  up,  instead 
of  long-faced  and  crucifying  all  of  the 
time,  why  I  just  think,  "  Suppose  this  was 
my  own  daughter?  " 

And  I  can't  go  and  tell  her  that  this 
world  is  a  wilderness  of  woe  that  Christ 
won't  help  her  through  if  she  goes  to 
Him  reverent-like  and  frank,  like  a  loving 
child  and  asks  for  His  help.  I  just  tell 
her  that  nobody  on  earth  has  got  so  good 
a  right  to  be  happy  and  content  as  a 
Christian  has.  And  we  look  into  each 
other's  faces  and  smile  till  our  eyes 
get  full.  And  we  say  that  it's  blessed  to 
be  His'n,  and  we'll  be  careful  to  live  un- 
spotted. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  117 

I  didn't  mean  to  run  on  so,  and  not 
being  much  used  to  literature  writing, 
maybe  I  don't  make  myself  real  clear. 
But  the  more  I  ponder  onto  this  subjick 
the  more  seriouser  it  gets. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Aunt  Blvira  has  Heard  Some 
Criticism  of  Sunday-school 
Music  and  Writes  Concern- 
ing the  Singing  at  the 
Tompkin's  Corners  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church 

OOME  folks  has  been  saying  a  good 
S-'  deal  about  singing  them  ole  hymns 
and  nothing  else.  Maybe  they're  right, 
I  don't  know.  But,  as  fur  me,  I  hain't 
got  no  fault  whatever  to  find  about  the 
Sunday-school  singing  in  Tompkin's  Cor- 
ners. 

Some  of  the  pieces  don't  have  any  too 
much  theology  crowded  into  'em,  I  know. 
The  grand  old  hymns  are  like  rocks  what 

uv  been  use  ter  weathering   the   waves. 
n8 


Tompkin's  Corner.  119 

But  'twould  seem  mighty  queer  to  see  a 
passel  o'  young  folks  a-gitting  saved  at 
the  altar  by  singing,  "  Hark  from  the 
tombs  a  doleful  sound ; "  or  to  any  words 
that  could  be  got  into  a  tune  like  Wind- 
ham. 

It's  true  that  Christ  is  a  covert  from 
the  tempests  of  life.  But  I  don't  hanker 
arter  church  members  who  was  druv  into 
the  church  by  fear  and  not  drawed  there 
by  love. 

They  sing  out  of  the  Epworth  singing- 
book  to  our  Sunday-school ;  and  some  of 
the  pieces  begin  like  this : 

"  O,  scatter  seeds  of  loving  deeds," 
"  Pass  me  not,  oh,  gentle  Saviour," 
"One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus," 
"  Abide  with  me," 

"  Dare  to  do  right,  dare  to  be  true  ! " 
"All  the  way  my  Saviour  leads  me," 
"  Gather  them  in,  for  there  yet  is  room," 
"Break,  Thou,  the  bread  of  life," 
'*  Yes,  for  me,  for  me  He  careth." 

I  could   give  a  good  many  more,  but 


120  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

<* 

these  answer  the  purpose.  After  going 
into  Sunday-school  and  listening  to  old 
and  young  singing  such  words,  along  with 
the  sunny-faced  young  man  what  leads 
the  singing,  I  go  home  in  a  kind  of  cir- 
cling peace  what  helps  nie  in  my  living 
for  a  good  spell. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Aunt  Elvira  is  a  Methodist — 
Heart,  Soul  and  Pocket- 
book — and  in  her  Love  for 
the  Church  she  is  Troubled 
at  Some  of  its  Methods  in 
Revival  Meetings 

F  T  is  quite  a  spell  sence  I  have  wrote  on 
to  this  book.     Fact  is,  I  give  it  up 
once  and  made  up  my  mind  to  let  book- 
making  out    to   them    what    was    more 
competenter. 

But,  some  way  a-nother,  the  sperrit's 
took  hold  onto  me  again  with  a  firm 
grip.  Maybe  nothing  won't  come  of  this 
writing  neither,  but  I'll  be  more  apt  to 
feel  better  if  I  set  about  it  once  more : 

because,   if   you'll  believe  it,  I've  set  to 

121 


122  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

pondering  again.  And,  really,  it  'pears 
to  me  that  a  few  more  words  wouldn't  be 
out  of  the  way. 

You  recomrnember  that  I  joined  onto 
the  Church  rather  late  in  life.  It  all  come 
about  through  my  favorite  niece,  Bllen 
Maria,  going  and  marrying  herself  to  a 
young  minister  named  John  Wesley  Gray ; 
and  then  they  two  a-leading  such  sweet 
lives  as  to  make  my  ole  heart  hungry  after 
the  heavenly  something  that  I  could  see 
shining  into  all  their  doings  and  that  went 
singing  through  all  their  sayings. 

John  Wesley  was  'pointed  to  a  church 
in  New  York  City  arter  he'd  sarved  his 
term  out  in  Tompkin's  Corners  and  I 
was,  oh,  so  lonesome  arter  they'd  gone 
away.  He  and  Bllen  Maria  has  been 
a-urging  of  me  and  Martha  Ann — I  can't 
do  nothing  nor  go  anywheres  without 
Martha  Ann,  you  know — to  come  down  to 
the  city  and  make  them  a  long  visit. 

Nacherly,  we — being  plain  folks  from 
Tompkin's  Corners— was  a  bit  nervous. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  123 

But  you'd  a-thought  we  was  kings  and 
queens  by  the  way  they  welcomed  us. 
We  felt  pretty  much  to  home  the  fust 
day  ;  and  we  was  well  onto  the  ways  of 
city  folks  in  less  than  no  time. 

Then  I,  nacherly,  begun  a-looking  into 
this  city  church  and  a-pondering  onto  it. 
And  I'm  getting  to  be  awful  'fraid  that  my 
nephew-in-law  and  his  church  is  a-making 
of  a  big  mistake. 

Sech  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  folks — 
old  and  young,  to  say  nothing  of  the  little 
children — all  around,  under  the  very 
church  walls,  and  so  few  come  inside  of  it. 
And  Christ  is  just  as  sweet  and  helpful  and 
powerful  to  draw  men  now,  as  He  was  on 
the  shores  of  Galilee. 

Hearts  is  just  as  hungry  now  as  they 
could  possible  a  been  then.  I  know  it,  for 
my  own  old  heart  wakes  up,  sometimes, 
and  cries  till  nothing  but  Jesus's  love  can 
still  it.  And  if  folks  don't  come  to  Him 
now,  it  must  be  because  them  what  are 
echoing  the  "  Follow  me  !  "  what  was 


124  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

spoke  on  the  shores  of  Galilee  are  a-mak- 
ing  some  little  mistake  in  their  way  of 
doing  it. 

We  went  to  church  last  Sunday  evening 
— Martha  Ann  and  me.  A  revival  is 
a-going  on  and,  nacherly,  we  was 
interested  to  see  if  it  was  carried  forard  in 
the  same  way  as  we  do  at  Tompkin's 
Corners. 

In  the  church  to  which  we  have  the 
honor  to  belong  a  week  of  prayer  always 
begins  with  the  first  Sunday  of  the  New 
Year.  This  means  that  every  evening  of 
that  week  there  must  be  services  of  special 
prayer  for  special  subjicks.  This  most 
allers  is  the  beginning  of  a  revival — a  time 
when  church  members  take  new  interest 
into  spiritual  things  and  when  men  and 
women  are  invited  to  begin  leading  a 
Christian  life. 

That  evening  John  Wesley  preached  a 
sermon  what  showed  to  us,  who  know  him 
best,  just  h'ow  earnest  and  sincere  he  is — 
a  loving,  pleading,  reaching-out  sermon 


Tompkin's  Corner.  125 

that  seems  as  would  a  melted  a  heart  of 
stone. 

And  he  closed  up  by  asking  of  the 
Official  Board  to  come  into  the  altar, 
while  he  begged,  tender-like,  of  them  who 
wasn't  Christians  to  come  forreds  and 
make  their  peace  with  God. 

There  was  deep  feeling  all  over  the 
church.  The  Official  Board — nice,  quiet, 
stiddy-looking  men — went  inside  o'  the 
altar  rail ;  but  nobody  else  moved  toward 
it. 

Then  a  very  learned  man  got  up  and 
give  a  tech  ing  exhortation.  He  tole  how 
he'd  sought  into  the  schools — here  and  in 
Europe — for  them  things  invisible  which 
gives  meaning  to  life.  And  he,  too, 
asked  men  and  women  to  come  and  kneel 
down  to  the  altar  and  be  blessed  of  God. 

He  asked  if  they  was  going  to  quibble 
about  logic  and  fail  to  grasp  the  only 
thing  that  could  fetch  beauty  and  peace 
into  their  lives. 

He  was  real  airnest,    though   he  just 


126  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

talked  gentle-like  and  self-controlled. 
The  feeling  was  strong  over  the  people. 
I  believe  that  a  good  many  hearts  was 
open  to  the  Heaven  influence  that  seemed 
to  fill  the  air  like  wings  of  unseen  angels. 

But  when  he  set  up  a  testing  of  the 
people  by  asking  if  they  didn't  have  the 
moral  courage  to  get  up  and  come  to  the 
altar ;  and  went  on  a-picturing  of  it  as 
sech  a  trifling  thing  to  do,  there  seemed 
to  come  a  sort  of  disturbing  spirit  over 
everything. 

And,  somehow,  the  time  when  I  joined 
onto  the  Church  come  into  my  mind. 
How  I  jest  put  on  my  bunnit  and  went 
straight  over  to  the  parsonage  and  into 
John  Wesley's  study  and  said  to  him, 
then  and  there,  that  I  was  tired  of  my 
way  of  living  and  wanted  to  begin  a  new 
and  better  way. 

And  how  he  jest  said — a-taking  both 
of  my  hands  into  hisn,  "  I'm  glad.  And 
Ellen  Maria,  she'll  be  glad,  too."  And 
with  his  eyes  shining  and  soft-like,  he 


Tompkin's  Corner.  127 

just  took  down  the  record  book  and  en- 
tered my  name  as  a  probationer  into  the 
Church. 

Sometimes  I'm  feared  that  if  he'd  in- 
sisted onto  my  going  forreds  afore  a 
church  full  of  folks,  I  might  a  gi'n  out 
and  so  would  a-missed  more  than  I  can 
tell. 

So,  it  seemed  to  me,  that  the  folks 
wasn't  a-quibbling  at  logic  so  much  as  they 
was  wondering  why  on  airth  they  must  be 
called  upon  to  do  that  particular  public 
thing,  if  they  wanted  to  get  saved  in 
Heaven  at  last. 

John  Wesley  asked  the  choir — and  some 
of  'em  is  real  pretty  -  singers — to  sing  a 
verse  of  "  Almost  Persuaded,"  while  he 
waited  for  some  one  to  come  to  .the  altar 
seeking  Christ. 

Now  I've  allers  been  persuaded — 'cept- 
ing  to  revival  meetings — that  Christ  is 
lovingly  seeking  to  save  the  world  and 
not  setting  Himself  down  inside  of  any 
church  altar  a-insisting  that  the  world 


128  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

must  come  there  in  order  to  find  Him 
and  be  saved. 

I'm  allers  a-picturing  of  Him  as  a- 
coming  arter  them,  and  wanting  them 
just  to  be  willing  to  let  Him  find  them, 
without  insisting  that  they  should  come 
even  the  length  of  a  church — if  the  church 
is  full  of  people,  'cause  it's  hard  for  some 
timid  folks  to  do  any  public  thing. 

Now,  John  Wesley  and  some  of  the 
brethren  went,  soft-like  all  around  'mong 
the  folks  they  knew  wasn't  church  mem- 
bers, a-asking  of  'em  in  whispers  to  let 
them  lead  'em  to  the  altar. 

The  choir  sung  another  verse — very 
feeling-like,  and  ended  with  this  one : 

41  Almost  persuaded  now  to  believe, 
Almost  persuaded  Christ  to  receive, 
Almost  will  not    avail, 
Almost  is  but  to  fail, 
Sad,  sad  that  bitter  wail, 

Almost,  but  lost !  " 

Now  I've  'tended  a  good  many  revival 
meetings  in  my  day,  but  I've  never  tended 


Tompkin's  Corner.  129 

one  so  quiet  as  this  one.  No  groans, 
no  fuss,  no  noise.  Nobody  even  said 
"  Amen  !  "  Brother  Harpending  wasn't 
there  with  his  loud  voice  a-shouting  out 
his  prayer  as  if  the  Lord  had  been  struck 
stone  deaf ;  or  as  ef  Heaven  was  miles 
and  miles  away  and  must  be  took  by  a 
storm  of  noise. 

It  was  quiet  as  a  funeral.  I  uster  long 
for  sech  ;  but  arter  getting  of  it  the  tears 
that  rose  into  my  eyes  turned  theirselves 
into  magnifying  glasses,  as  it  were. 

Martha  Ann  begun  to  see  different,  too. 
When  we'd  got  home  and  was  taking  of 
our  things  off  I  noticed  the  set  of  her 
mouth.  And  it  meant  something.  When 
we'd  set  down  by  the  fire  into  our  room 
and  was  a-taking  our  little  bite  before 
going  to  bed,  I  found  out  what  was  be- 
hind them  lips. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Martha  Ann  Speaks 
her  Mind 

"  "^THERE'S  a  pretty  big  sum  for  some- 
body  to  work  what  knows  figgers," 
said  Martha  Ann,  a-looking  at  me  outen 
the  corner  of  her  eye  as  she  poured  me 
a  fresh  cup  of  bwu-yong — beef-tea  is  what 
we  call  it  at  Tompkin's  Corners — "  and 
somebody'd  better  git  to  work  onto  it  at 
oncet. 

"  'Sef  goin'  up  to  that  altar  in  the  face 
of  a  hull  congergation  was  going  to  turn 
anybody  into  a  Christian  ! " 

Then  I  told  her  that  it  was  simply  a- 
asking  of  'em  to  take  a  little  step  towards 

Christ.     And  she  said : 
130 


Tompkin's  Corner.  131 

"  Well,  who's  to  know  that  such  a 
step  is  necessary,  and  that  Christ  is 
toward  the  altar  any  more'n  He's  toward 
the  door  ?  " 

Then  I  said  what  I'd  heern  told  over 
and  over,  that  it  was  a  very  little  thing 
to  do  for  the  One  what  had  come  all  the 
way  from  Heaven  to  save 

And  she  interrupted  me,  then  and 
there,  by  saying,  "  Well,  ef  He's  come 
all  the  way  from  Heaven,  He  won't  be 
likely  to  stop  sech  a  little  way  offen  them 
what  He's  come  arter. 

"  The  church  folks  hain't  got  no  right," 
says  she,  "  to  set  up  too  many  rules  nor 
to  put  any  distance,  howsomever  short, 
atween  Jesus  Christ  and  a  man's  heart. 
He  said  (  Foller  me ! '  in  the  olden  time  : 
and  they  jest  done  it.  And  that  was  all. 
There  want  no  gettin'  ready  to  foller,  nor 
gittin  fit  to  foller  ;  no  kneelin'  and  prayin' 
over  Matthew  and  James  an'  John. 
When  Andrew  brought  Peter,  his  brother, 
to  Christ,  the  other  disciples  didn't  have 


132  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

to  get  down  and  pray  over  him  before 
Christ  would  take  him. 

"  And  if  folks  to-day  hear  Christ  a- 
callin'  of  'em,  I  don't  know  why  they 
should  be  made  to  think  that  the  Lord 
ain't  ready  and  a-waitin'  to  take  'em. 
Their  wantin'  to  come  is  proof  that 
they're  fit  to  come.  And  He'll  take  men 
now  jest  as  He  took  them  others  hunderds 
an'  hunderds  of  years  ago.  He's  jest 
the  same.  Ain't  His  love  an  unchang- 
ing kind  of  love  ? 

"  He'll  tend  to  their  sins — He  an'  they, 
by  theirselves.  There  don't  'pear  to  me 
to  be  any  pertickerler  need  fur  a  hull 
church  official  board  to  git  'round  a  man 
what's  felt  the  gentle  hand  of  Jesus 
a-knockin'  at  his  heart,  with  their  prayers 
an'  sighs  in  order  to  fix  him  up  so's 
Jesus'll  take  him. 

"  Don't  look  so  shocked.  I'm  all  riled 
up,  and  I  don't  want  to  say  anything 
sassy.  Well,  what  if  I  am  overthrowin' 
a  old  established  custom  in  the  church  ? 


Tompkin's  Corner.  133 

Who's  established  it,  I'd  like  to  know  ? 
Jest  weak,  failin'  folks  like  ourselves. 
Jesus  never  did. 

"  The  good  Samaritan  didn't  make 
that  poor,  dyiii'  creetur  go  and  kneel  at 
any  altar  before  he'd  pour  the  oil  into  his 
wounds.  The  poor  creetur  was  too  *  weak 
and  wounded,  sick  an'  sore.'  And,  may- 
be," here  Martha  Ann's  voice  got  to  be  very 
gentle,  "  maybe  some  of  them  there  to- 
night was  too  weak  and  wounded,  too,  away 
down  deep  into  their  hearts. 

"  I  jest  felt  sorry  fur  that  young  man 
a-settin'  'longside  of  you.  The  minister 
and  the  'sistant  minister,  and  one  or  two 
others,  come  and  talked  to  him,  a-tryin' 
to  git  him  forred.  He  didn't  go.  And 
arter  they'd  left  him,  his  face  was  all  on 
fire  an'  he  looked  'round,  kind  o'  furtive- 
like,  's  ef  he  was  a  culprit  and  fit  only 
to  be  singled  out  as  a  special  object  of 
prayer.  'Tain't  right  !  No,  'taint !  " 

Martha  Ann  flourished  her  nightcap 
vigorously.  "  'Tain't  Christlike,"  says 


134  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

she.  "  Why  don't  them  good  people  go 
quietly  'round  in  the  daytime  to  the 
homes  of  sech,  and  do  a  little  simple, 
lovin'  talkin',  and  then  put  the  names 
onto  the  church  record  and  read  the  list 
out  loud  to  some  official  meetin'  ? 

"  Many's  the  body  what  might  be  won 
in  that  way.  It's  mostly  the  best  souls 
what's  likely  to  be  'feared  o'  theirselves. 
They  hain't  got  the  face  to  git  up  and  go 
forred  'mongsthunderds  of  people,  fur  fear 
that  they  mightn't  allers  be  found  doin' 
jest's  they'd  advertised  by  sech  a  dis- 
play. 

"  No,  dearie,  I  won't  keep  still.  Why 
hain't  the  churches  full,  when  there  is  so 
many  folks  with  unsatisfied  lives  goin' 
'round  every  day  under  their  very  eaves  ? 
It's  the  Church's  own  fault.  The 
'  holier  than  you  be '  air  that  breathes — 
whether  anybody  knows  it  or  not — out  uv 
all  sech  perceedin's  as  this  un  to-night.  I 
don't  see  the  use  of  making  sech  a  fuss. 
Jesus  didn't  make  no  fuss  at  sech  times. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  135 

"  Then  there  was  that  hymn-singing ! 
Wan't  it  jest  a  sight  to  hear  that !  Sakes 
alive  !  It  nigh  about  druv  me  crazy.  I 
remembered  the  pictures  in  an  old  book 
of  my  grandfather's,  '  Emblems  an'  Al- 
legories '  was  the  name  of  it.  And  there 
was  devils  a-poking  the  souls  of  sinners 
down  into  big  kittles  o'  fire.  That  ain't 
the  Christ-love ! 

"  I  don't  approve  of  that  hymn,  an', 
what's  more,  I  never  did.  *  Almost,  but 
lost !  '  Is  that  the  way  the  thief  was 
treated  when  he  was  a-hanging  onto  the 
very  cross  ?  Is  that  the  way  the  Samari- 
tan done  with  the  one  who'd  fell  'mong 
them  thievin'  Jericho  folks  ? 

"  And  jest  to  see  John  Wesley  Gray — 
sech  a  gentle,  pityin'  man  as  he  is — a- 
standin'  there  's  ef  he  believed  in  sech 
wickedness !  When  the  very  last  quarter 
of  a  instant,  ef  a  soul  turns  to  Christ,  do 
you  s'pose  John  Wesley'd  expect  Him 
to  say : 

"  *  You  want  me,  I  know,  and  I  died  to 


136  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

save  you.  But  there  is  something  wrong 
about  my  dying.  It  hain't  quite  strong 
'nough  to  save  you  now.  You  come  jest 
a  little  too  late  !  (  Almost,  but  lost  /  ' 

"  I  never  spoke  in  meeting,  though  I've 
been  a  Methodist  as  long  as  you  have, 
Miss  Hopkins.  And,  what's  more,  I 
never  wanted  to  speak  afore.  But  I  come 
nigh  onto  gittin'  right  up,  then  an'  there, 
in  that  church  an'  say  in' : 

" ( You're  a-puttin'  a  libel  onto  my 
Saviour.  He's  mighty  'nough  to  save 
anybody,  ANYWHERE  AN'  ANYHOW  !  He 
don't  set  up  no  rules.  An'  the  great 
founder  of  this  Church  didn't  set  none. 
He  jest  said  that  if  anybody  believed  in 
God  and  desired  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come — which  I  s'pose  is  the  separation 
from  God — he  will  be  saved.  An',  ef  he's 
goin'  to  let  folks  into  Heaven  that  way, 
why  must  they  do  any  more  in  order  to 
git  into  a  church  ?  That's  what  I'd  like 
to  have  you  tell  me — you  or  any  other 
preacher  or  bishop. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  137 

"  P'r'aps  I'd  best  to  shet  up,  now.  But, 
I  tell  you,  Miss  Hopkins,  you've  got  a 
duty  to  do,  an'  whether  you  see  it  or  not, 
you'd  orter  do  it." 

Then  she  went  off  to  bed,  after  making 
me  as  comfortable  as  possible.  For,  spite 
of  her  sharp  tongue,  Martha  Ann  has  got 
the  gentlest  hands  in  the  world  an'  the 
lovingest. 

So  she  left  me  to  think  it  all  over  and 
to  git  out  of  my  daze — ef  I  could.  For  I 
know's  well  as  she  does,  that  John  Wes- 
ley Gray  is  all  that  he  makes  out  to 
be.  And  his  wife  and  children  know  it 
too — for  there  are  children  now.  One  is 
named  after  me,  and  is  called  Vera,  for 
short.  And  the  little  fingers  fumble 
'round  'niong  the  chords  of  my  old  heart 
till  they  waken  throbs  of  'mazin'  tender- 
ness. 

His  home  life  is  most  beautiful.  Saint 
John  is  what  Ellen  Maria  calls  him,  in 
private,  to  me,  sometimes.  And  the 
children  mind  him  because  they  love  him. 


138  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

How  he  does  romp  with  'em  sometimes ! 
It's  wonderful  pretty! 

So,  you  see,  I  know  his  outside  life's 
jest  the  fragrance  wafted  out  of  the  flower 
in  his  home.  If  any  one  has  a  right  to 
stand  up  and  urge  men  to  come  to  Jesus, 
it's  John  Wesley  Gray,  my  nephew-in- 
law. 

But  is  he  a-doin'  of  it  in  the  best  way  ? 
And  is  he  a-expecting  of  men  to  do  the 
things  they'll  be  liable  to  do — I  mean  the 
real,  sound  men,  what  thinks  a  good  deal, 
and  are  worth  so  much  to  the  world.  The 
others — the  tinkling  cymbal  kind — 
would  be  more  likely  to. 

I  set  there  alone  and  pondered  onto 
these  things  until  the  gaslight  was 
swallered  up  in  the  light  of  the  next 
morning.  And  Martha  Ann  came  tip- 
toeing in  with  a  scairt  look  onto  her  face, 
fearing  that  my  heart  had  gi'n  out  and 
that  the  end  she  fears  had  come.  And 
she  made  me  a  bowl  of  boneset  tea  and 
made  me  drink  it,  and  begged  my  par- 


Tompkln's  Corner.  139 

don  for  getting  so  stirred  up  the  night 
afore. 

I  forgave  her.  There  wasn't  anything 
to  forgive.  For  it  was  her  love  for  the 
Church  speaking  out — even  in  that  sharp 
way.  But  I'm  not  yet  settled  in  my  mind 
as  to  what  I'd  ought  to  do. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Aunt  Elvira  Thinks  the  Church  is 
Taking  too  Much  upon  its 
Shoulders  and  Accomplish- 
ing too  Little 

R  nigh  onto  a  week  now,  I've  been 
doing  some  pretty  heavy  pondering, 
and  Martha  Ann,  she's  been  saying 
some  pretty  hinting  things  about  "  them 
as  knowed  their  duty  and  didn't  go  to 
doing  of  it." 

I  just  ventured  to  make  a  little  remark 
to  her  one  day  about  my  unworthiness — 
how  that  it  got  to  be  real  late  in  life  be- 
fore I  turned  myself  'round  so  that  the 
light  from  Heaven  could  shine  into  my 
face,  and  by  so  doing,  make  all  the 

shadows  of  earth  go  stretching  out  straight 

140 


Tompkin's  Corner.  141 

behind  me  where  I  couldn't  see  them  'less 
I  took  pains  to  turn  clear  'round  and  look 
for  them. 

And  I  talked,  real  well,  about  my  lack 
of  education — how  that  I'd  never  even 
been  to  a  seleck  school — and  of  the  hungry 
feeling  there  is  into  my  heart  arter  the 
knowledge  that  makes  a  body  sure  about 
their  nomatives  and  negatives. 

And  I  took  pains  to  remind  her  of  the 
numbers  of  years  I  had  lived  with  the 
hills  'round  Tompkin's  Corners  a-holding 
into  their  little  circle  all  I'd  ever  seen  of 
the  whole  big,  round  world.  Then  I 
wound  up  by  saying  that  it  would  look 
mighty  peart  in  me — a  middle-age  maiden 
woman  from  Tompkin's  County — to  come 
right  into  the  heart  of  the  biggest  city 
in  our  whole  big  country  and  go  to  setting 
myself  up  as  a  sort  of  dictating  agency  to 
them  as  had  allers  been  walking  into  big, 
broad  paths,  with  great  stretches  of  learn- 
ing right  in  plain  sight  before  their  very 
eyes. 


142  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

But  she  wasn't  convinced — Martha  Ann 
wasn't.  She  just  poked  her  hand  'way 
down  into  the  foot  of  the  long  black 
stocking  she  was  a-darning — she  don't 
believe  in  using  darning  balls  and  sech 
like — and,  pointing  her  long  needle  at 
me,  she  said,  very  slow  and  soluinn-like, 
says  she : 

"  Miss  Hopkins,  you're  a  reg'lar  built 
Moses.  That's  who  you  be.  1 1  pray 
thee  send  by  some  other  :  for  thy  servant 
hath  a  stammering  tongue.'  If  you'd 
a-lived  in  this  'ere  city  you'd  a  been  blinded 
like  the  rest  uv  'em.  They  hain't  to 
blame  ;  but  they  don't  see  clear.  An'  ef 
you'd  a  had  that  thare  college  eddication 
you're  allers  a-pinin'  arter,  you'd  a  been 
full  o'  other  matters. 

"  Tompkin's  Corners  ain't  no  very 
sightly  place — bein'  set  so  in  a  holler, 
just'sef  some  big  angel  had  a-let  his  hand 
down  and  was  a-holdin'  of  us  up  careful 
so's  we  wouldn't  tumble  over.  'Sef  he 
was  a-pennin'  of  us  in  close  by  the  hills, 


Tompkin's  Corner.  143 

so's  to  lead  our  thoughts  upards,  stid  o' 
outards,  so's  they  couldn't  git  thin  a-trying 
to  spread  over  all  creation.  An'  stid  o' 
listenin'  to  any  Bishop  or  preachin'  I  ever 
seen,  I  druther  hear  you  a-sayin'  them 
lovin'  little  things  you  do  sometimes, 
when  we're  a-settin'  out  onto  the  pie-azza, 
an'  it's  still-like,  an'  the  twilight's  bein' 
drawed  up  over  our  feet  'sef  some  lovin' 
hand  was  tryin'  to  keep  us  from  ketchin' 
our  deaths  o'  cold. 

"  An'  I  hain't  so  terribul  diffrunt  from 
other  folks — I  hain't.  City  folks  has  got 
hearts  into  their  bodies  's  well  as  other 
folks.  Jest  a-comin'  from  the  country 
needn't  make  any  sound,  sensible  woman 
go  to  settin'  herself  up  for  a  fool !  " 

Then  she  waved  her  long  arm,  that  had 
the  stocking  pulled  over  it,  and  looked 
straight  at  me  while  she  druv  the  darn- 
ing-needle into  it  with  that  look  onto 
her  face  that  I've  got  pretty  well  learnt 
by  this  time,  you  may  believe. 

Well,  we  went  to  another  revival  meet- 


144  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

ing  that  very  evening.  It  was  held  into 
the  prayer-meeting  room,  and  was  more 
homeliker  than  the  other  one.  Still,  it 
kep'  me  a-ponderin'. 

They  opened  np  first  with  a  season  of 
prayer  followed  by  testimonies.  Some  of 
them  who'd  been  won  into  the  Christian 
life  was  coaxed  into  saying  a  few  words, 
which  seemed  to  be  very  sweet  and  pleas- 
ant to  the  others. 

Then  their  pastor — my  nephew-in-law 
— done  a  little  exhorting.  And  he  asked 
.the  congregation  to  bow  their  heads  while 
the  choir  sung  a  piece  alone.  'Twas  all 
about  ninety  and  nine  safe-  sheltered 
sheep  and  about  another,  what  had  been 
one  of  'em,  but  had  got  wandered  off  and 
lost  onto  the  "  mountains  wild  and  bare, 
away  from  the  tender  Shepherd's  care." 

Then  the  singers  told  us— very  soft- 
like,  as  soft  as  a  mother  hushes  her  baby  to 
sleep — how  deep  the  waters  was  and  how 
dark  the  night  was,  too,  through  which 
He  went  a-seeking  the  one  who  was  "  sick 


Tompkin's  Corner.  145 

and  helpless  and  ready  to  die."  And  the 
pastor  lovingly  begged  of  them  who 
hadn't  yet  give  their  hearts  to  God  to  lift 
up  their  hands. 

A  few  done  so. 

It  was  solemn,  very.  It  was  too  solemn. 
It  was  like  a  funeral — like  a  good  many 
funerals  crowded  into  one  great,  big 
funeral — 'stead  of  being  the  glad,  sweet 
thing  it  ought  to  be  to  get  found  and 
brought  in  out  of  the  cold  and  dark  into 
the  sunshine  and  warmth  of  peace  and 
forgiveness.  To  leave  off  hunting  after 
what  don't  and  can't  satisfy,  and  be  found 
yourself  by  the  only  One  whose  love  can 
make  life  so  full  and  sweet  that  trials  be- 
gin to  lose  their  sting,  and  the  bitterness 
of  heart-stabs  is  blunted. 

The  meetings  has  been  going  on  for 
a  good  spell — five  weeks  or  thereabouts, 
now — and  sixty-seven  souls  has  been  won 
into  the  Church.  Most  of  them  are  chil- 
dren out  of  the  Sunday-school.  They 
come  in  little  huddles,  with  tender  hearts. 


10 


146  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

Some  of  them  are  folks  that  has  got  to  be 
so  old  that  the  world — deceitful  as  it  is — 
don't  dare  to  promise  much  to  them.  A 
few  sweet  young  girls  has  come  too,  and 
four  or  five  young  men.  Perhaps,  with- 
out knowing  it,  they  come  because  the 
girls  did.  I  don't  blame  'em.  Why 
shouldn't  they  ? 

But  there  is  hardly  any  regular-built, 
go-ahead  business  men,  of  the  kind  that 
keeps  the  world  a-moving  with  their 
energy  and  push. 

All  of  these  here  five  weeks  a-working 
and  a-praying  and  a-singingand  a-weeping 
of  a  hull  church  for  sixty-seven  souls ! 
Not  but  what  I  know  all  the  Bible  has  to 
say  about  the  worth  of  one  soul.  And  not 
but  what  I  feel  that  the  poorest  is  of  more 
value  than  all  the  stars  of  Heaven  would 
be  if  they  was  strung  into  one  long,  shin- 
ing string. 

But,  though  I  kept  saying  over  to  my- 
self, "  Sixty-seven  safe  !  Sixty-seven 
safe !  "  I  couldn't  keep  from  thinking  onto 


Tompkin's  Corner.  147 

all  the  others  what  is  a  keeping  on  stay- 
ing out  in  the  dark  and  a-going  on  in  the 
cold  ;  till,  somehow,  the  sixty-seven  didn't 
'pear  to  comfort  me  as  much  as  they'd 
ought  to  a  done. 

Christ  spoke,  in  the  parable,  as  if  there 
wasn't  only  a  hundred  sheep  in  the  hull 
world.  And  as  if  ninet}7-and-nine  of  'em 
was  all  safe.  And  as  if  only  one  of  'em 
was  lost.  And  He  pictured  the  Shepherd 
as  leaving  all  of  them  safe  ones  and  not 
feeling  satisfied  till  He'd  come  back  with 
that  one  lost  sheep  in  His  arms  / 

Somehow,  things  seem  to  be  all  turned 
'round,  nowadays.  There  seems  to  be  a  lot 
of  ninety-and-nines ;  but  they're  out  into 
the  darkness ;  and  there's  only  a  few  ones, 
as  you  might  say,  and  they're  into  the  fold. 

When  we  got  home  that  night,  John 
Wesley  Gray,  the  pastor,  asked  me  to 
come  into  the  study  for  a  little  old- 
fashioned  visit.  I  began  to  make  an  ex- 
cuse, but  Martha  Ann  whispered  into 
my  ear : 


148  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

"  Jest  you  go  right  along  in.  Don't  go 
to  doin'  any  more  Mosesin'.  I'll  bring 
you  both  a  good  hot  bowl  o'  ginger  tea. 
It's  warmin'  to  the  stummick." 

So  I  shut  my  hands  tight  and  went  in. 
And  some  way,  t'wan't  no  time  afore  I'd 
told  him  everything  that  I'd  been  writ- 
ing to  you,  of  all  that's  been  moving 
into  my  mind  since  I've  been  going  to  his 
new  city  meeting-house.  And  when  I'd 
got  all  through  and  was  beginning  to  get 
scairt  to  death  at  what  I'd  done,  he  just 
leant  over  and  put  his  head  onto  his 
hands. 

"  I've  felt  it  myself  all  along."  He 
said  it  as  if  he  was  a-carrying  of  a  tremen- 
dous load.  And  I've  talked  to  my  Official 
Board  about  it.  But  they  want  to  keep 
to  the  old  paths  of  Methodism.  They 
are  afraid  of  being  swept  away  into  for- 
malism. So,  they  hold  me  down  to  the 
old  methods.  I  would  prefer  to  have  these 
extra  services  during  Lent,  when  the 
whole  of  Christendom,  devoutly  or  other- 


Tompkin's  Corner.  149 

wise,  turns  its  thoughts  toward  the  relig- 
ious life.  But  they  think  that  would  be 
losing  their  denominational  individuality ; 
and  that  must  be  maintained  at  any  cost. 
As  if  it  made  any  difference  to  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  !  " 

Martha  Ann  come  in  just  then  with 
two  steaming  bowls  of  ginger  tea.  And, 
as  he  looked  up  at  her — inquirin'  like, 
because  he  always  likes  to  hear  what  he 
calls  her  "  crisp  opinions,"  she  spoke  right 
up  and  said,  says  she : 

"  'Pears  to  me  that  you  an'  your  Church 
is  a-undertakin'  of  too  much.  The 
Church  'dorter  'dapt  itself  to  the  needs  of 
the  people,  ef  it  expects  to  draw  'em  to  it. 
Stid  o'  that,  it's  a-tryin'  to  'dapt  the 
people  to  the  Church.  Them  ole  paths 
you  spoke  of,  is  very  good.  But,  some- 
how, it  don't  'pear  to  me  's  ef  we'd  got  to 
go  generations  back'ards  in  order  to  walk 
into  them  paths. 

"  They  come  a-stretchin'  right  up  into 
the  present.  An'  they'll  go  a  reachin' 


150  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

clean  through  all  the  future.  What  we've 
got  to  do  is  to  hunt  them  paths  up,  git 
into  'em  an'  go  trampin'  straight  forreds 
a-doin'  of  our  very  best.  An'  the  paths 
'11  change  'cordin'  to  the  times.  You 
won't  find  no  ole  corduroy  roads  a-run- 
nin'  through  New  York  City. 

"  How  much  sense  would  there  be  in 
your  insistin'  onto  preachin'  off  un  a 
tombstone,  jes'  cause  John  Wesley 
preached  off'n  his  father's  tombstone  arter 
them  Church  o'  Bngland  folks  wouldn't 
let  him  preach  into  their  meeting-housen 
any  more.  An'  it  looks  jes'  the  same  to 
me  when  you  set  up  to  insist  on  folkses 
going  forreds  an'  bein'  prayed  fur  now, 
jest  like  they  used  ter  do  when  they  was 
livin'  in  log  housen,  an'  meetin's  was  held 
into  barns,  an'  school-housen,  an'  folks 
lived  miles  away  from  each  other,  an' 
couldn't  git  together  often,  an'  needed 
jest  that  pertickerler  kind  o'  spiritual 
help. 

"  The   Salvation    Army   is    a-doin'   of 


Tompkin's  Corner.  151 

that  pertickeler  kind  of  religious  business 
now,  an'  a-doin'  of  it  'mong  the  folks 
what  kin  be  teched  by  it,  an',  mebbe,  can't 
be  teched  by  anything  else.  An'  when 
the  Salvation  Arm}'-  raised  theirselves  up 
an' went 'into  that  way  of  doin'  things, 
they  took  it  off'n  your  shoulders.  You're 
left  to  do  good,  sound,  sober,  reasonable 
kind  of  work. 

"  Them  as  comes  into  meetin'  housen 
nowadays,  is  reasonin'  folks.  Them  as 
jest  wants  to  be  moved  in  their  feelin's  can 
go  to  the  meetin's  of  the  Army  folks. 
The  Church  'dorter  encourage  thinkin'.  I 
hearn  a  man  say,  yisterday,  in  the  street- 
car— he  was  talkin',  quiet-like,  to  a  friend, 
but  I  couldn't  help  a-hearin'  of  what  he 
said,  bein'  set  'long  side  of  him — '  The 
Church,'  says  he,  '  is  a  tryin'  to  blindfold 
men  and  to  keep  them  from  investigation. 
What  has  the  Church  got  to  be  afraid  of, 
ef  she's  all  she  claims  to  be  ?  ' 

"  An'  I  thought,  right  away,  about  that 
time  when  Nicodemus  come  to  Christ. 


152  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

An'  liow't  Christ  let  him  set  down  an' 
talk  to  Him,  jest  like  a  friend.  Christ 
didn't  go  an'  call  up  the  disciples  an'  set 
them  to  prayin'  over  Nicodemus.  An'  He 
didn't  git  no  folks  a-singin'  of  things  that 
ud  make  him  cry.  He  jest  set  up,  'way 
inter  the  night  a-answering  of  Nicode- 
muse's  questions — Jesus  did.  None  of 
your  tryin'  to  make  feelin'  do  the  work  of 
thinkin'  in  that  meetin' ! 

"  An'  when  the  learned  ruler  of  the 
Jews  went  to  pryin'  too  clost  into  spiritual 
things,  an'  a  makin'  of  'ein  too  much  like 
the  things  what  you  buys  an'  sells  in  the 
market,  I  kin  jest  shet  my  eyes,  now  an' 
hear  them  words — spoke  so  gentle,  but 
'sef  'twas  a  king  what  said  'em — '  The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not 
tell  whence  it  cometh  nor  whither  it 
goeth.' 

"  Kf  the  church  wouldn't  try  to  tickle 
folkses  feelin's,  but  would  talk  straight 
up  and  down  reason  to  'em,  'twould  'peal 


ii 


Tompkin's  Corner.  153 

to  some  what  hain't  never  paid  much 
'tention.  Some  men,  an'  women,  too, 
who  wouldn't  be  seen  a-cryin'  fur  the 
hull  world,  would  set  right  down  an' 
talk,  reasonable,  'bout  religious  things. 
Some  of  'em  would  admire  to  do  it. 
They'd  feel  that  they  was  bein'  treated 
with  proper  respeck  fur  their  intelleck. 

"  'Pears  to  me  that  when  things  has 
been  tried  an'  tried  without  bringin' 
round  anything  like  what  the  tryin'  is 
fur,  that  it's  about  time  to  hunt  up  some 
other  way  o'  doin'.  Wa'n't  it  th'  'postle 
Paul  what  said  that  he  was  all  things 
to  all  men,  if  by  chance  he  might  win 
some  ?  " 

I'd  been  noticin'  that  John  Wesley'd 
been  getting  paler  and  paler  while  Martha 
Ann  was  talking.  Just  then,  he  undertook 
to  get  up,  and  swung  'round,  instid,  and 
fell  onto  the  floor.  Martha  Ann  sprung 
and  straightened  him  out  and  undid  his 
cravat. 

"  I'm  dretful  sorry,"  she  said.     "  But 


154  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

don't  you  go  to  worriting,  Miss  Hopkins. 
He'll  come  round  in  no  time.  All  of  this 
meetin'  work  has  got  his  system  out  o' 
kilter.  'Tain't  to  be  wondered  at,  nuther. 
Jest  you  bring  me  that  bottle  of  camphire 
off'n  the  mantle-piece  in  your  bedroom. 
Revival  meetin's  is  worritin'  'nough  to 
floor  a  bigger  man  'n  he  is." 

'Twas  over  in  a  few  minutes,  and  John 
Wesley  Gray  laughed  away  my  fears. 
"  Something  else  must  be  done,"  he  said, 
a-thinking  of  the  church  and  not  of  him- 
himself.  "  My  eyes  have  been  opening 
slowly  for  some  time.  The  thing  to  do 
now  is  to  look  in  the  right  direction." 

What  with  Martha  Ann  a-stirring  of 
me  up,  and  with  a  preacher  a-fainting 
away  at  my  very  feet,  things  look  pretty 
well  mixed  up.  It  appears  to  me  that  I 
shan't  never  git  through  with  my  ponder- 
ings. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Aunt  Elvira  Finds  a  new  Plan 
for  Adding  to  the  Church 
which  is  Acted  Upon  with 
Certain  Results 

TTTELL,  after  that  last  experience,  I 
had  ruther  a  bad  turn.  And, 
while  I  was  setting  'round  doing  nothing, 
I  had  time  to  think  that  the  'Rithmetic 
of  Life  had  got  some  real  hard  sums 
crowded  into  it. 

Laying  awake  nights  to  ponder  didn't 
seem  to  shed  the  least  light  onto  the  way 
of  doing  this  pertickerler  sum  that, 
through  my  own  foolishness — bein'  so 
set  on  by  Martha  Ann — had  got  wrote 
out  onto  my  slate  for  me  to  work  out. 

It  seemed  jest  like  it  use  ter  in  the 


156  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

yellow  school-house  at  Tompkins  Corners, 
when  I'd  set  and  nibble  my  slate  pencil, 
an'  make  little  marks  all  'round,  and 
write  my  name  over  and  over,  and  take 
my  sponge  and  wipe  it  all  out  again, 
without  finding  out  whether  I'd  ought  to 
divide  or  multiply,  or  subtract,  or  just 
plain  add. 

Nothing  seemed  to  come  plain.  No 
matter  how  steady  I  set  gazing  onto  that 
slate.  And  there  wasn't  any  big,  kind 
teacher  a-coming  'round  and  a-helping  of 
me  this  time. 

I  begun  to  think  that  there  must  be 
Greatest  Common  Divisors  and  Least 
Common  Multiples  and  Integers  and  such 
like,  into  the  doing  of  it.  And,  being  of 
no  account  in  fractions,  it  began  to  seem 
as  if  I'd  never  be  able  to  figure  my  way 
out. 

Jest  at  this  very  identical  time  I  come 
onto  a  little  piece  into  a  church  paper 
that  I  was  a-looking  over  one  day,  that 
'peared  to  meet  the  case  exactly — kind  of 


Tompkinte  Corner.  157 

a  providential  find,  as  you  might  say,  of 
one  of  them  "  solutions  "  that  use  to  be 
scattered  'round  in  the  school  'Rithmetics. 
Leastways,  that's  what  I  thought  then. 
And  John  Wesley  he  thought  so,  too. 
So  did  Ellen  Maria.  But  Martha  Ann, 
she  didn't  let  on  as  to  what  her  thinking 
was. 

The  piece  which  took  such  a  hold  onto 
my  mind — and  John  Wesley's  mind,  too 
— was  about  getting  of  the  whole  world 
saved,  and  a-getting  of  it  saved  in  short 
order. 

It  said — the  piece  did — that  the  Church 
was  working  too  easy  like.  That  it  was 
too  much  engaged  in  the  feeling  of  its 
own  spiritual  pulse  and  in  coddling  its 
own  little  sicknesses — leastways,  that's 
what  all  the  high-flown  words  meant — 
and  that  it  should  stop  fussing  over  itself 
and  go  to  work  for  others,  and  not  feel 
satisfied  until  the  whole  world  was  took 
for  Jesus. 

Then  it  went  on  to  say  that  if  every 


158  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

perfessiug  Christian  would  persuade  only 
one  person  a  year  to  come  into  the  church 
or  to  be  a  Christian,  which  is  the  same 
thing ;  and  if  each  new  one  would  go  on 
and  do  the  same  thing,  that — even  allow- 
ing for  the  natural  increase  in  population 
— even  then  the  whole  world  would  be 
Christianized  in  twenty  years! 

It  took  my  breath  clean  away.  Twenty 
year !  I  begun  to  think  over  the  ones  I 
would  try  to  win.  First,  there  was  Bsther 
Hadden,  who'd  been  so  true  to  her  old 
father  and  mother  that  her  sweetheart 
had  got  tired  of  waiting,  and  had  gone 
off  and  married  another  woman.  Seemed 
to  me  's  ef  nothing  but  the  love  of  heaven 
could  comfort  her.  I  begun  to  think  of 
how  I'd  send  some  more  of  Martha  Ann's 
jellies  'round  there,  even  if  she  didn't 
'pear  to  'predate  them,  when  we  got  back ; 
and  of  how  I'd  tell  her  that  she  needn't 
bother  'bout  the  rent  no  more,  'cause  that 
piece  of  property  wasn't  worth  much  to 
me,  anyhow. 


Tompkin's  Corner.  159 

And,  possible,  with  life  made  easier, 
slie  might  lose  the  hard  look  that  had 
never  left  her  face  since  she  hearn  the 
bells  ring  for  that  wedding,  ten  long 
year  ago.  And  perhaps  she  might  be 
won  to  give  her  heart  to  Him  whose 
love  is  unchanging  and  outlasts  death 
itself. 

And  then  I  thought— well,  no  matter. 
It's  easy  to  find  names  to  work  for  when 
a  body's  heart  is  tender.  And  I  felt  that, 
even  suppose  the  end  of  this  life  was  to 
come  for  me  before  it  had  all  been  brung 
about — as,  pretty  likely,  it  would — I  might 
possibly  be  let  to  come  back  sometimes, 
when  some  big,  glad  angel  was  a-coming 
on  an  errand  of  joy  and  peace,  just  to  look 
on  while  the  angel  was  a-doing  of  that 
errand,  and  see  how  sweet  and  beautiful 
it  had  all  got  to  be  when  that  happy  time 
had  arrove. 

And  then  I  told  it  out  to  Martha  Ann. 
And  she  didn't  believe  it  at  all.  She  said 
it  didn't  look  likely.  That  she  wasn't 


160  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

nothing  at  figures,  but  she  knew  enough 
to  disbelieve  that.  Although  she  did  allow 
that  the  man  who  wrote  it  had  the  right 
idea. 

"  Bf  the  church  is  the  salt  of  the  airth," 
says  she, "  it  ain't  a-doing  of  the  work  what 
it's  been  set  to,  and  a  salting  of  the  hull 
airth.  It's  jest  a-staying  all  by  itself,  in 
little  private  lumps,  and  a-admirin'  of  its 
own  pertickerler  little  shiny  crystals. 
When  I  put  a  sprinkle  o'  salt  into  a  pud- 
din',  I  put  it  there  'cause  I  want  it  to  work 
its  way  'round  so's  every  single  swaller  of 
that  hull  puddin'  '11  taste  of  it.  I  want 
every  one  of  them  little  shiny  crystals, 
that  look  so  pretty  in  the  sun,  to  jest  for- 
git  all  about  their  own  good  looks,  and 
melt  right  up  and  go  'round  a-seasoning 
an*  a  savin'  of  everything  that's  in  reach 
of  'em. 

"  I  ain't  no  preacher,  nor  bishop,  nor 
nobody,"  Martha  Ann  says,  says  she,  "  an' 
I  don't  know  how  the  thing  's  goin'  ter  be 
done.  But  the  man  what  wrote  that  piece 


Tompkin's  Corner.  161 

has  got  the  right  idee  into  his  head. 
I    wish  to  the  Ian'  sakes  some  other  folks 
would  think  of  doing  what  he  calls  *  ni- 
di vidooal  work.' 

"  It's  easy  'nuff  to  shift  responsibility 
off  onto  the  preacher ;  an'  then  to  set  by 
an'  see  him  a-strugglin'  with  somethin' 
that's  too  big  for  one  man  to  handle. 
Plenty  of  folks  is  willin'  to  go  to  meetin' ; 
mighty  willin'  to  talk,  'n  pray,  'n  mebbe, 
to  cry  a  little  when  they're  inside  uv  the 
meetin'.  But  they  wont  do  a  whimper  o' 
work,  outside,  by  theirselves. 

"  But  I'm  a-workin'  of  you  up  into  a 
reg'lar  stew,  Miss  Hopkins,  an'  that  ain't 
no  way  to  help  you.  Bf  I  only  had  some 
yarrer,  now,  out  o'  that  bunch  I  dried  last 
year  an'  hung  in  the  northeast  corner  o' 
the  attic,  I  could  fix  you  up  in  no  time. 
You're  all  out  o'  kilter  with  the  noise  an' 
commotion  uv  city  livin'." 

And,  as  she  went  down  the  stairs,  I 
heard  her  saying  to  herself,  says  she  : 
"  You  don't  ketch  me  'way  from  home 


ii 


162  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

agin  without  some  of  that  yarb  into  my 
satchel." 

I  set  still  a  spell  after  she'd  gone.  Then 
I  got  up  and  went  into  the  study,  and 
showed  the  little  piece  that  I'd  been  and 
cut  out  of  the  paper  to  John  Wesley 
Gray. 

He  read  it  clean  through,  real  careful. 
Then  he  looked  into  a  book  of  church 
statistics  and  took  a  pencil  and  done  some 
figgering.  And  as  he  figgered,  and  as  the 
answers  to  his  sums  kept  a-getting  longer 
an'  longer,  his  face  begun  to  get  brighter 
and  brighter.  Till,  at  last,  he  said : 

"  The  man  is  right.  It's  a  simple 
thing.  The  wonder  is  that  it  hasn't  been 
thought  of  before.  And  it  seems  to  be 
the  least  thing  an  earnest  Christian  can 
pledge  himself  to  undertake.  Perhaps 
we've  found  our  way-out  of  the  difficulties 
that  have  been  rising  so  high  of  late." 

That  night  in  the  prayer-meeting,  when 
the  feeling  was  deep,  and  two  or  three 
sisters  and  one  long-favored  brother  had 


Tompkin's  Corner.  163 

wept  "  over  the  waste  places  in  Zion," 
and  bemoaned  the  lack  of  zeal  in  the 
church,  and  sighed  after  the  old  paths  of 
Israel,  John  Wesley  got  up. 

His  face  was  all  glowing.  He  seemed 
like  a  doctor  what  had  come  to  the  friends 
of  some  dying  person,  and  had  brought  a 
medicine  that  could  not  fail,  noways. 

And  he  said  that  he  quite  understood 
all  the  heart  sorrow  of  which  the  last  tes- 
timonies had  been  the  expression.  But 
that  he  believed  light  was  ready  to  dawn. 
Then  he  read,  out  loud  to  the  whole 
meeting,  that  same  little  piece  that  I've 
told  you  about.  And,  after  reading  of  it, 
he  set  out  to  them,  in  real  bright  colors, 
with  pretty  words  that  'peared  tooken  out 
uv  poetry,  how  beautiful  and  blessed 
everything  would  be  when  the  world  had 
been  all  redeemed  to  Christ. 

"  There  will  be  no  more  oppression," 
says  he.  "  No  need  of  trades  unions  and 
such  like,  because  the  spirit  pervading 
every  place  will  make  life  easier  and 


104  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

brighter  to  every  living  soul.  There 
will  be  no  more  disunited  families, 
because  all  will  be  walking  in  the  same 
direction. 

"  Bvery  one  of  you  has  probably  some 
dear  friend  whose  welfare  lies  heavily 
upon  your  heart.  Many  of  you  have 
come  to  me  with  this  burden.  You  have 
told  me,  in  confidence,  how  earnestly  you 
desire  the  salvation  of  your  brother,  your 
sister,  your  husband,  son  or  friend.  You 
have  asked  me  to  converse  with  these 
that  I  might  help  you  to  win  them,  not 
necessarily  into  this  church,  but  into  the 
number  of  those  who  are  saved. 

"  Suppose,  now,  that  each  of  you  take 
the  matter  up  seriously.  Give  this  year 
to  its  accomplishment.  Work,  pray, 
speak,  when  occasion  requires,  to  the 
person  ;  be  silent  when  the  time  is  not 
fitting  ;  but,  with  God's  help,  pledge 
yourself  to  Him  and  your  own  heart  that 
you  will  not  rest  satisfied  until,  with  His 
help,  the  desired  object  is  accomplished." 


TompkirTs  Corner.  165 

He  said  a  lot  more  that  sounded  real 
inspiring,  but  that  is  kind  of  evading 
when  I  try  to  write  it  out.  And  he 
pressed  it  home,  loving  and  airnest,  that 
every  one  of  them  had  some  serious  thing 
to  do. 

And  I  set  there  a-expecting  of  seeing  a 
spirit  of  real  revival  and  rejoicing  break 
out  into  that  meeting.  I  don't  think  I'd 
a-been.  put  out  if  some  of  them  had  hol- 
lered a  little,  a-anticipating  of  the  final 
jubilee. 

But  if  you'll  believe  it — I  couldn't  at 
first — there  wa'n't  no  such  glad  respond- 
ing to  the  appeal  as  I'd  been  led  to  expect 
by  John  Wesley's  talking  so  glowing- 
like.  There  wasn't  even  an  "  Amen  !  " 
And  somebody  in  the  amen  corner  started 
up  a  regular  "  Hark-from-the-Tombs-a- 
Doleful-Sound  "  hynin  after  he  had  set 
down. 

But  John  Wesley  didn't  'pear  to  mind. 
On  the  way  home  he  said  that  it  was  a 
very  serious  matter,  and  he  was  glad  that 


166  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

they  felt  the  weight  of  it.  Martha  Ann. 
and  I  went  upstairs  pretty  quick  after 
we'd  got  to  the  parsonage,  and,  when  we'd 
took  off  our  things,  she  just  faced  round 
and  looked  at  me.  Then  says  I : 

u  That  was  a  real  good  exhortation  of 
John  Wesley's,  now,  wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  Good  ?  "  says  she.  "  Yes,  it  was  ;  real 
good,  and  gen-u-eyne.  But  'twan't  no  use. 
Didn't  you  see  it  wa'n't  from  the  first 
minute  they  began  to  understand  that  he 
was  a-setting  of  somethin'  fur  them  to  do, 
's  well  as  his  own  self?  Didn't  the  room 
have  a  different /<?<?/  to  you  in  less  'n  no 
time  ?  An'  arter  he'd  talked  a  spell,  didn't 
you  shiver  's  if  a  wet  blanket  was  a-bein' 
drawed  up  close  and  tucked  in  all  'round  ? 
Do  you  s'pose  they're  a-goin  to  set  to  an' 
work  on  their  own  hook  a-tryin'  to  save 
them  '  lost  sheep  o'  Israel '  that  they're 
allers  a-grievin'  over  ?  I  wish  to  the  land 
sakes  they  would.  Mebbe  some  of  'em 
will.  We'll  see ! " 

Then  she  went  to  folding  up  our  things 


Tompkin's  Corner.  167 

and  putting  of  them  away.  And  it  kind 
of  come  over  me  that  very  minute  that 
maybe  the  day  of  jubilee  was  more  than 
twenty  years  away. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Martha  Ann  Gives  Her  Opin- 
ion as  to  the  Value  of  Some 
Prayers 

OINCE  a-writing  of  that  last  letter  I've 
v-^  been  into  quite  a  state  of  mind.  And 
Martha  Ann,  she's  been  a-trying  her  very 
best  to  help  me  out  by  showing  how  sort  of 
on-reasoning  I  was  to  go  on  a-expecting  of 
much  from  other  folks.  But  all  of  her 
doings  and  sayings  only  showed  up  to 
me — more  clear  and  plain-like — that  in 
some  ways,  the  Church  herself  is  her  own 
biggest  hindrance.  She  showed  it  out  to 
me  real  plain — Martha  Ann  did.  And, 
'stead  of  being  willing  to  stop  a-worriting 
and  just  take  things  as  they  be,  its  kinder 
broke  my  heart  and  tooken  the  spirit  all 

out  of  me,  as  you  might  say. 
168 


Tompkin's  Corner.  169 

One  day  when  we  two  had  been  a-set- 
ting  real  still  for  quite  a  spell — she  a- 
mending  stockings  and  I  a-doing  of  some 
fancy  work  for  the  church  fair — she  spoke 
out,  sudden-like,  Martha  Ann  did,  and 
says  she : 

"  I  don't  blame  you.  An'  nobody  what's 
got  a  heart  into  their  body  can't  blame  you 
for  goin'  an'  buildin'  air  castles  an'  sech. 
Anybody's  likely  to  git  excited,  ef  he's 
interested  into  humanity  at  all,  when  he 
finds  a  piece  printed  out  clear  an'  plain 
into  a  newspaper  so's  'at  everybody  kin 
read  it,  what  sez  as  how  the  hull  world 
can  be  took  by  Christianity  in  jest  twenty 
years'  time. 

"  Mebbe  it's  easy  'nuff  to  say  a  thing 
like  that,  but  when  the  piece  goes  on  to 
explain  how  the  thing  can  be  done,  it's 
more  interestin'.  Seems  's  ef  every  perfes- 
sin'  Christian  might  set  to  an'  bring  jest 
one  outsider  a  year  into  the  fold,  fur  as 
long  as  twenty  year,  at  least.  An'  it  does 
seem 's  ef  all  on  them  new  ones  what  hev 


170  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

been  fetched  in  might  begin  an'  do  the 
same ;  an'  all  of  'em  keep  on  a-doin'  uv 
it,  clean  on  down  to  the  very  end  uv  that 
twenty  year,  when  the  hull  world  would 
be  took  for  Christ. 

"  An'  John  Wesley  Gray,  he  wouldn't  a 
been  the  airnest,  interested  pastor  that  he 
is  ef  he  hadn't  a  felt,  fur  a  minute,  at  least, 
a  sort  of  heart  lift  when  you  went  an' 
showed  to  him  that  piece  what  you  cut  out 
of  the  paper — 'specially  arter  he'd  been  an' 
figgered  it  all  out  an'  found  that  the  sum 
would  come  true  an'  prove  itself. 

"  I  kin  see  him,  now,  a-readin'  uv  it ;  an' 
I  kin  hear  his  voice,  all  full  o'  feelin',  a- 
askin'  uv  'em  to  do  a  little  real  live  work 
along  with  their  prayin'. 

"  An'  you  felt  the  change  what  come 
over  that  thar  meetin'  while  he  was 
a-talkin' — you  felt  it  jest  ez  bad  ez  I  did. 
It's  real  pitiful,  I  know.  But  it's  true  ez 
th'  Gospel,  an'  it  can't  be  helped.  I  don't 
believe  that  some  hull  prayer  meetin 's 
would  weigh  very  heavy  if  they  was 


Tompkin's  Corner.  171 

hooked  onto  the  steelyards  in  heaven,  or 
laid  onto  the  heavenly  scales.  I  don't 
see  how  some  folks  dast  to  pray  as  they 
do.  No,  I  don't. 

"  And  you're  a-gittin'  into  a  state  nv 
mind  over  it  all,  an'  a-look-in'  pale  an' 
sort  o'  limp.  An'  it's  a-worritin'  uv  me 
dretful." 

But  John  Wesley  Gray  wasn't  a  bit 
discouraged.  Leastways,  he  didn't  show 
it  if  he  was.  He  got  out  little  letters  in 
printed  writing  and  sent  them  to  every 
member  of  the  church.  I'll  write  out  one 
of  them,  so  that  you  can  see  how  dignified 
and  serious  he  took  it. 

Dear  Friend — You  are  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  this  city, 
and  have  taken  upon  yourself  the  solemn 
vows  of  discipleship.  The  Lord  Jesus 
expects  the  best  service  that  you  can 
render.  Individual  work  is  the  necessity 
of  the  hour.  Are  you,  therefore,  willing 
to  pledge  yourself  to  the  utmost  effort 


172  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

toward  bringing  one  soul  to  Christ  during 
the  next  twelve  months  ?  If  so,  be  kind 
enough  to  sign  the  inclosed,  and  return  it 
as  soon  as  convenient  to  one  of  the  under- 
signed. Yours  faithfully. 
New  York,  Feb.  18,  1898. 

And  here  was  put  the  name  of  the 
pastor,  of  the  Sunday  School  superintend- 
ent and  the  class  leaders.  And,  somehow 
his  airnest  way  of  looking  at  the  matter 
kind  of  set  me  up  again,  till  it  began  to 
seem  once  more  as  if  the  end  was  pretty 
near  in  sight. 

And  he  planned  to  have  encouragement 
meetings  for  "  them  Oneses,"  as  Martha 
Ann  called  them.  The  little  letters  was 
all  sent  out.  Not  a  single  member  of  the 
church  was  missed — rich  or  poor,  high  or 
low,  young  or  old — every  single  body  had 
a  little  letter  sent  to  their  own  individual 
selves. 

Then  we  set  down  and  waited,  as  you 
might  say,  John  Wesley,  Ellen  Maria— 


Tompkin's  Corner.  173 

his  wife,  and  my  favorite  niece — and  I. 
Martha  Ann,  well,  she  had  to  wait ;  but 
there  wasn't  any  loving  expectancy  wove 
like  gold  and  silver  threads  through  any 
of  her  waiting.  She's  real  shrewd,  Martha 
Ann  is.  And  I've  often  wished  I  was  a 
little  shrewder  after  I've  been  took  in  by 
some  inade-up  tale  of  woe  that's  been  told 
to  me.  And,  then,  again,  I'm  real  glad 
that  I  ain't  so  shrewd.  Suppose  I  do  get 
fooled  pretty  often,  and  I  do,  why,  there's 
the  pleasure  of  thinking,  at  least  for  a 
little  spell,  that  things  are  all  right.  And 
when  they  really  do  come  out  so,  it's  very 
comforting  to  a  body's  feelings. 

"  They  are  weighing  the  matter,"  said 
John  Wesley  one  day  after  he'd  been  set- 
ting real  still  for  a  long  time.  He  spoke 
it  right  out,  as  if  we'd  been  talking  about 
it.  And  we  hadn't  said  a  single  word  in 
two  or  three  days.  "It's  a  serious  thing 
to  promise,"  says  he,  "  and  I'm  glad  that 
they  don't  do  it  hastily." 

Then  he  got  up  and  went  and  put  on 


174  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

his  overcoat  and  hat  and  went  out  to  make 
some  calls  onto  the  church  mission  folk. 

And  after  he'd  went  out  Martha  Ann 
turned  her  eyes  after  him  and  said : 
"Humph!" 

That  was  all  she  said,  every  word.  I 
think  it  would  a-ben  easier  to  a-bore  if 
she'd  said  more.  There's  a  good  deal 
that's  discouraging  to  a  body  in  one  of 
Martha  Ann's  "  Humphs  !  "  I  didn't  feel 
so  comfortable  and  satisfied  like  after 
hearing  of  it.  And  I  began  to  think  that 
maybe  the  finding  of  that  piece  in  the 
paper  wasn't  so  very  providential  after  all. 

Somehow,  waiting  didn't  seem  so  easy 
after  that.  Still,  there  wasn't  nothing 
else  to  do.  We  had  to  wait  till,  finally, 
John  Wesley  spoke  to  one  of  his  class 
leaders  about  it.  And  the  class  leader 
hemmed  two  or  three  times  before  he  give 
an  answer.  And  then  he  said,  says  he : 

"  I  can  talk  easy  enough  in  my  class 
meeting  when  the  members  are  all  there. 
And,  when  each  one  has  set  down  after 


TompkirTs  Corner.  175 

giving  their  testimony,  it's  got  to  be  real 
easy  for  me  to  give  a  little  exhortation  to 
that  particular  one,  or  a  little  encourage- 
ment, as  the  case  may  be.  But  I  can't 
take  one  person  alone  and  talk  to  him.  I 
hain't  never  had  the  face  to  do  that  special 
kind  of  work.  You'll  have  to  count  me 
out.  I'm  sorry,  but  I'm  not  built  that 
way,  you  know,  and  can't  help  it,  though 
I've  been  a  class  leader  for  twenty  odd 
years." 

John  Wesley  must  have  felt  that  the 
man  who  couldn't  speak  loving  and  gentle 
to  one  person  about  Christ  was  hardly  fit 
to  stand  up  before  a  whole  meeting  and 
talk.  But,  if  he  did,  he  kept  from  saying 
of  it.  He's  real  peaceable.  There  ain't 
any  stirring  up  of  wrath  in  his  ways  and 
in  his  speakings. 

The  richest  man  in  the  church — some 
of  them  call  him  the  Bishop,  because  he 
seems  so  to  expect  that  everything  will 
go  as  he  wants  it  to  go,  from  the  preacher 
to  the  penny  collection — he  finally  can1.? 


176  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

over  to  the  parsonage  and  spoke  to  my 
nephew-in-law.  And  the  summing  up  of 
what  he  said  was,  that  it  was  all  right  to 
generalize,  but  that  the  people  didn't  like 
special  things  laid  out  for  them  to  do. 
That,  as  for  the  pastor  and  the  deaconesses, 
'twas  their  business  to  go  round  doing 
such  kind  of  work.  But  that  outsiders 
would  think  that  the  church  had  gone 
stark  staring  mad  if  they  all  took  to  turn- 
ing of  theirselves  into  evangelists. 

John  Wesley  felt  a  sort  of  homesick- 
ness creep  into  his  heart,  and  go  winding 
its  cold  and  clammy  length  all  through 
it,  as  he  tried  to  explain  that  it  was  not 
expected  that  they  should  work,  except 
most  quietly,  with  no  fuss  nor  pretense. 

But  the  church  bishop  shook  his  head 
serious  like,  and  said  that  it  might  do  in 
some  little  out-of-the-way  mission,  but 
that  wasn't  the  thing  for  a  church  like 
theirs. 

After  he'd  gone  away,  Martha  Ann 
said  to  me:  "  Don't  think  I'm  tickled, 


Toinpkin's  Corner.  177 

'cause  I  ain't.  I  want  things  bettered  just 
as  bad  as  you  do.  But  human  natur  is 
human  natur,  here  as  well  as  in  Tompkins 
Corners.  And  you  know  that  them  what 
do  the  most  work  in  the  meetin's  ain't 
them  as  does  the  most  outside.  It  'd  orter 
be  so,  but  it  ain't." 

Some  more  days  went  by.  The  church 
didn't  seem  at  all  leaning  toward  making 
hasty  promises,  such  as  John  Wesley 
'peared  to  be  afraid  that  they  would  at 
first. 

Still,  there  was  a  few  bright  spots.  One 
poor  woman  brought  her  daughter  to  the 
study  one  day  and  with  tears  into  both 
their  eyes,  they  asked  the  pastor  to  add 
the  girl's  name  onto  the  church  record. 
And  he  done  it  most  willing. 

And  a  few  children  sent  word  about 
their  Ones.  And,  one  day,  just  as  even- 
ing was  a-setting  in,  we  heard  a  boy's 
voice  in  the  hall  a-asking  for  the  minister. 

John  Wesley  went  out ;  and  there  stood 
a  little  fellow  a-holding  onto  another  little 

12 


178  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

fellow.  And  lie  smiled  right  up  into 
John  Wesley's  face,  and  says  he : 

"  He's  Jimmy.  He's  my  One.  He's  a 
square-dealin'  feller.  That's  why  I've 
brung  him.  And  he  said  he'd  come, 
'cause  he  likes  you.  You  buys  his  papers, 
an'  you  speaks  kind  to  him,  and  Jimmy, 
he's  a-going  to  hunt  up  a  One,  too." 

John  Wesley  took  them  into  his  study 
and  had  some  nice  things  to  eat  brought 
in  to  them.  And  he  told  them  some 
stories.  And  after  he'd  let  them  go  and 
had  come  back  into  the  setting-room,  he 
says,  says  he  :  "  Into  the  byways  and 
hedges." 

That  was  all  that  he  said.  Martha  Ann 
looked  over  at  me,  and  there  was  tears 
into  her  sharp  little  gray  eyes.  And  she 
made  a  great  fuss  a-wiping  of  her  spec- 
tacles. 

And  here  we  are,  just  about  where  we 
was  before.  Pondering  don't  seem  to  do 
much  good  no  more.  Still,  I  can't  seem 
to  be  able  to  stop  a-doing  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Martha  Ann  Expresses  Some 
Pretty  Lively  Convictions 
Concerning  the  Renting  of 
Pews. — She  Wonders  as  to 
the  Real  Ownership  of  the 
Lord's  House,  and  Suggests 
"The  Church  of  the  Pew- 
Holder  "as  an  Appropriate 
Name  for  Some  Places  of 
Worship 

"  T  WAS  kind  o'  hankerin'  to  set  my 
eyes  onto  Tompkins  Corners  agin," 
says  Martha  Ann,  says  she  to  me  one 
day,  "  till  I  got  that  letter  from  Melvina 
Mellings  yisterday.  'N  sense  readin'  uv 
that,  I've  been  feelin'  a  heap  more  recon- 
ciled about  snippin'  a  few  more  weeks 

179 


180  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

off'n  real  life  an'  a-tackin'  uv  'em  onto 
our  stayin'  here." 

I  took  off  my  specs  and  waited,  'cause 
the  look  onto  Martha  Ann's  face  showed 
that  something  real  kind  of  interesting 
was  likely  to  come.  But  I  had  to  set 
quite  a  spell  afore  she  opened  her 
lips. 

"  'Twas  kind  o'  bore  in  onto  my  mind 
when  I  fust  read  that  letter,"  says  she  at 
last,  "  as  how't  I'd  best  not  let  on  to  you 
nothing  'bout  it,  till  you'd  got  back,  an' 
seen  fur  yourself  how  things  is.  An' 
then,  agin,  thinks  I  to  myself,  l  When  a 
blow  is  a-comin',  sartin  sure,  an'  there 
hain't  no  way  o'  dodging  it,  ifs  best  to  be 
prepared.'1  A  body  may  be  sommat  stag- 
gered, but  they  hain't  near  so  apt  to  git  a 
real  knock-down  ef  they  knows  aforehand 
and  kind  o'  braces  theirselves  agin  it. 

"  'N  ef  you  was  to  go  back  to  Tonipkins 
Corners  to-morrer,  a-expectin'  uv  findin' 
things  in  statter  quo,  you'd  git  a  mighty 
set-back.  An'  I  hain't  a-takin'  uv  no 


Tompkin's  Corner.  181 

sech  responsibility  onto  my  shoulders. 
Not  ef  I  knows  myself." 

There  was  a  clap-o'-doom  tone  into  them 
words  of  Martha  Ann's  that  set  me  all  of 
a  tremble.  If  this  was  the  preparing, 
then  what  on  earth  must  the  blow  be  ! 

Perhaps  there'd  been  a  fire  to  Tompkins 
Corners,  and  all  of  my  building-property 
had  been  swep'  away.  And  the  old  house 
what  I'd  been  born  into  (and  my  mother 
before  me),  and  the  garret  where  I  played 
when  a  wee  thing  ;  and  the  great,  pleasant 
living-room  where — after  I'd  growed  up 
into  a  happy  young  girl — I  use  to  set  with 
him  close  beside  me  during  them,  long 
winter  evenings  by  the  blazing  chimbly 
.fire,  when  the  rest  uv  'em  didn't  'pear  to 
see  if  his  hand  did  use  ter  steal  over  and 
draw  mine  down,  for  a  minute  or  two, 
from  the  long  lambs'-wool  stocking  I  was 
always  a-knitting. 

And  the  little  trinkets  he  give  to  me ! 
And  the  one  letter  he  wrote  and  brought 
to  me,  himself,  just  because  he  couldn't 


182  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

somehow  tell  to  me  when  we  was  together 
quite  all  that  he  wanted  to.  I  come  nigh 
onto  bringing  that  letter  and  them  trinkets 
with  me  to  New  York.  But,  what  busi- 
ness has  a  maiden  woman  of  my  age  got 
with  such  things  stowed  away  into  her 
satchels  and  reticules. 

So,  they  was  all  swep'  away.  And  I 
hadn't  no  home  to — 

Then  Martha  Ann,  she  set  off  a-talkin' 
once  more. 

"  Your  heart,"  says  she,  "  was  so  ter- 
rible sot  onto  this  pertickerler  thing." 

"  Yes,  it  was,"  thinks  I,  though  not  a- 
saying  it — "silly  or  not,  it  was  awful 
set." 

"  An'  you'd  put  your  hand  inter  your 
pocket  so  liberal  an'  oncoinplainin'  ! 
They'd  orter  a-had  the  decency  to  a- 
waited  till  you  got  back  afore  doin'  of  it. 
But  seems  they  didn't.  So  I  thought  best 
to  begin  a-preparin'  uv  you  for  the  wust !  " 

She  stopped  again,  and  leant  back  into 
her  chair  and  waited.  I  seen  from  her 


Tompkin's  Corner.  183 

words  that  ray  property  was  safe.  But  I 
couldn't  for  the  life  of  me  make  out  what 
she  was  a-tryiug  to  get  at.  I  begun  to 
think  that  a  body  'd  best  have  less  pre- 
parin'.  Being  prepared  for  bad  news  is 
most  as  uncomfortable  as  hearing  of  'eni. 

"  'Pears  like  some  folks  mostly  goes 
forreds  by  goin'  backerds,"  Martha  Ann 
went  on  a-saying.  "An'  churches  is  moslly 
folks,  arter  all.  We  look  onto  the  Church 
as  being  a  Divine  Instertootion.  P'raps 
there  is  a  sort  uv  kernel  uv  divine  sperret 
into  it.  Most  likely  there  is.  Now  that 
I  think  on  it,  of  course  there  is. 

"  But  the  biggest  part  of  the  Church  is 
jest  nothin'  but  folks.  An'  folks  is  mostly 
mighty  human — be  they  inside  or  be  they 
outside  uv  the  Church.  An'  human  stands 
mostly  for  selfish — jest  as  narves  does. 
Narvous  folks  gits  their  own  way.  An' 
them  what  owns  up  to  bein'  human,  does 
it  cause  they  wants  to  hev  things  fixed  to 
suit  their  own  selves. 

"  They   hain't  no   use  uv  my  talkin' 


184  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

round  Robin  Hood's  barn  no  longer.  I 
may  jest  as  well  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag 
to  oncet.  I  never  could  let  folks  down 
easy-like." 

She  gave  a  little  flirt  to  her  cap-strings. 
"  The  differkilty^s  jest  here.  Them  church 
trustees  has  been  an*1  gone  an1  rented  the 
pews  agin — all  uv  the  best  on  ''em.  Ad 
they've  left  jist  a  string  across  the  fur-back 
part,  an*  a  few  up  inter  the  loft  on-rented. 
Left  ''em  fur  them  as  haitft  got  no  money 
to  pay  fur  the  privilidge  tiv  worshippiri* 
the  Lord  in  His  own  tabernickle.'1'' 

I  was  took  back.  There  w'an't  no 
denyin'  uv  it.  Next  to  losin'  uv  my 
childhood's  home,  this  was  the  heaviest 
blow  that  could  a-been  struck  at  me  out  of 
Tompkins  Corners.  Next  to  my  joy  at 
being  counted  one  of  His  own,  had  been 
my  desire  to  make  the  House  of  the  Lord 
free  to  all  who  could  be  won  to  come  inside 
of  its  walls.  And  I'd  doubled  and  trebled 
my  subscription  so  as  to  bring  it  about. 

"  I  couldn't  never  onderstand,"  Martha 


Tompkin's  Corner.  185 

Ann  she  went  on  a-saying,  "  where  any- 
body gits  the  right  to  pick  an'  choose  fur 
the  best  place  into  the  church,  an'  then 
'fur  to  go  an'  have  their  name  printed  onto 
it,  like  a  door-plate,  as  some  folks  does. 

"  I  kin  onderstand  that  it's  real  kind  uv 
comfortable — I've  tried  it  and  know — to 
hev  allers  the  same  cushioned  corner 
ready  fur  a  body's  back,  an'  the  same  little 
stool  ready  to  their  feet,  an'  their  own 
hymn  and  sam-books — with  their  names 
printed  onto  'em  in  gold  letters — a-waitin'. 

"  Mighty  comfortable  to  go  a-rustlin' 
up,  out  uv  your  easy  week-day  life,  with 
your  Sunday  satin  gown  an'  your  best 
bunnit  all  brushed  free  from  a  single 
speck  o'  dust,  an'  a-givin'  little  pious 
nods  'round  to  the  few  other  comfortable 
ones  near,  who're  enjoyin'  the  same 
blessin'. 

"  But  what  about  them  what  hain't  come 
up  out  uv  a  easy  week?  Them  who's 
struggled  to  git  there  out  uv  a  week  what's 
been  crowded  full  o'  trouble  an'  leetle 


186  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

snarlin'  bothers;  an'  into  which,  p'raps,  a 
few  tears  has  been  a-droppin'  ?  Them 
what  needs  the  divine  peace  and  stillness, 
an'  sweetness,  an1  the  comfort,  too.  Bf 
there  is  any  outside  thing  that  kin  make 
them  comfortable — any  seat  into  God's 
house  that'll  help  them  to  forgit  the  hard- 
ships o'  life,  they'd  orter  hev  it. 

"  P'raps  they've  had  crowded  onto  their 
minds  all  durin'  the  week,  the  difference 
there  is  atween  them  a-battlin'  agin  the 
stream  an'  some  other  folkses  easy  sailin'. 
An'  when  they  come  up  into  the  Lord's 
House  arter  a  little  strength  to  bear  their 
burdensome  lot,  the  old  difference  a-twixt 
them  and  others  is  pressed  in  onto  'em 
harder'n  ever. 

"  An'  they  begin  to  kinder  feel  that  the 
church  hain't  nothin',  arter  all,  but-  a  kind 
o'  Sunday  club-house ;  an'  they  loses 
their  faith  an'  their  hold  onto  God's  lovin' 
an'  leadin'  hand. 

"  You  remember  James  Martin's  wife— 
her  as  was  Molly  Doolittle,  an'  had  a  com- 


Tompkin's  Corner.  187 

fortable  home,  an'  use  ter  be  druv  to 
church  with  her  own  father's  team,  till 
she  went  agin  the  fambly  an'  married 
herself  to  James,  what  was  a  real  hard 
drinker,  an',  finally,  went  off  in  a  fit  o' 
tremers,  an'  things  went  from  bad  to  wuss 
with  Molly  an'  her  children  ? 

"  Well,  she  tole  me  herself,  Molly  did, 
that  she  didn't  so  much  mind  the  differ- 
ence 'twixt  her  life  an'  that  uv  some  other 
folkses,  till  she  got  inside  uv  the  church 
onto  a  Sunday  mornin',  an'  seen  the  bet- 
terance  that  money  made  fur  some  folks 
there. 

"  She  knew,  Molly  did,  that  their  hun- 
derd  dollars  wa'n't  no  more  in  the  sight 
uv  the  Lord  than  her  widder's  mite.  But 
she  was  made  to  feel  that  a  hunderd  dol- 
lars cut  a  heap  sight  bigger  figger  into 
the  eyes  of  the  church  trustees.  That's 
why  she  stopped  off  a-goin'  to  church. 
An',  sumhow,  though  I  never  let  on  to 
her,  I  couldn't  blame  her  fur  a-doin' 
uv  it. 


188  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

"  It  'pears  that  they  had  a  pretty  lively 
time  to  the  church  meetin',  that  was  called 
to  talk  up  the  matter  uv  makiii'  the 
change.  Melviny  says  that  class-leader 
Green  said  that  nobody  went  to  a  concert 
a-expectin'  of  settin'  into  a  box-seat  if 
they  only  paid  fur  the  gallery.  An'  he 
didn't  see  why  the  meetin'-house  wasn't 
the  same. 

"  An'  Mary  Ann  Bardeen,  she  spoke 
right  out  an'  tole  him  that  she'd  no  objec- 
tion to  his  hevin'  uv  the  box-seat  most  uv 
the  time ;  but  that  she  did  want  a  occa- 
sional chance  at  it.  She  said  that  when 
her  rich  cousin  was  up  from  Jersey,  she'd 
a-been  willin'  to  a-paid  for  a  box-seat  fur 
them  two  Sundays. 

"  She  thought — Mary  Jane  did — that 
ef  they  was  a-goin'  to  put  the  church 
service  onto  a  level  with  a  concert,  they 
orter  give  notices,  an'  hev  the  seats  sold 
oncet  a  week.  She'd  a-been  more'n  willin' 
to  a-stood  in  line  an'  a-took  her  chance 
with  the  rest  uv  'em ;  an'  to  hev  paid  a 


Tompkin's  Corner.  189 

pretty  considerable  sum  fur  them  thar 
two  Sundays." 

I  hadn't  nothin'  to  say.  So  I  didn't 
say  it.  Martha  Ann  'peared  to  have  a 
good  deal  to  say.  And  I  just  set  still  an' 
let  her  keep  on  a-sayin'  uv  it. 

"  An'  we'd  been  an'  got  it  all  frescoated 
onto  the  walls  into  the  vesterbule : 

1  SEATS  FREE — WELCOME  TO  ALL  ! ' 

Just  where  anybody,  in  passin'  by,  could 
see  the  invitin'  words  a-standin'  there  in 
bright,  glad-colored  letters.  I  s'pose 
they've  got  the  frescoaters  to  go  an'  wipe 
them  words  all  out  by  this  time. 

"  Melviny  says  as  how  that  Sunday- 
school  Superintendent  Mortimer  has  got 
into  his  ole  seat  on  the  middle  aisle  agin, 
he  has.  You  remember  how  kind  o'  crazy 
he's  allers^been  over  that  one  pertickerler 
seat  in  the  sanctuary.  An'  how  that 
oncet,  when  John  Westfall — a  real  likely 
sort  o'  man,  with  a  clean,  decent  fambly, 


190  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

who'd  had  some  money  left  to  him,  an' 
took  his  fust  step  to'ards  advancing  of 
hisself  an'  them  by  goin'  an'  hirin'  a 
good  pew  into  the  church — you  remember 
how  that,  through  some  mistake  in  Sun- 
day-school Superintendent  Mortimer's  not 
havin'  notified  the  pew-letters,  they  gave 
that  pew  to  John  Westfall,  don't  you  ? 
An'  what  a  pretty  row  was  kicked  up  by 
the  superintendent !  He  didn't  go  to 
Sunday  services  for  six  weeks  !  An'  the 
'ficial  board  had  to  patch  it  up  by  gittin' 
John  an'  his  fambly  to  set  into  another 
pew. 

"  Talk  about  a  *  whip  o'  small  cords  ' 
being  used  into  the  temple  !  'Pears  to  me 
that  one  wouldn't  be  much  out  o'  place  in 
these  here  days." 

She  stopped  to  take  breath.  And  I 
says,  says  I,  "  Did  Melviny  say  as  how 
they  come  to — to  doin'  of  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  'cause  they  can't  git  the  money 
to  run  the  church  in  no  other  way — so 
they  say.  Folks  won't  pay  reasonable 


Tompkin's  Corner.  191 

unless  they  gits  summat  as  snows  how 
much  they  pays.  There's  mighty  few 
who  love  the  Lord's  service  enough  to  pay 
as  much's  a  good  seat  is  wuth,  an'  then 
take  their  chance  a-gittin'  in/0  it. 

"  Then  the'  was  danger  o'  losin'  the 
Stebbinses  an'  the  Perkinses.  They  was 
a-talkin'  uv  goin'  summers  else.  They 
didn't  like  bein'  pew-tramps — a-goin'  fust 
here  an'  then  there,  wherever  they  could 
git  a  chance.  'Cause  the  church  really 
had  bigger  crowds  than  afore  ;  an'  a  body 
had  to  be  on  time  ef  he  struck  a  fust-class 
middle-aisle  seat. 

"  An'  Square  Granby  said  that  he  felt 
like  a  stranger  into  a  strange  land,  when 
he  didn't  see  the  ole  familiar  faces  'round 
him.  'Twas  real  disturbin'  to  his  sperrit 
to  set  next  to — nobody  didn't  know  who. 

"  So  the  change  was  brung  about.  An' 
I  hope  to  the  Ian'  sakes  alive  that  they 
feel  better.  Though  a  sort  uv  curus  thing 
happened  the  very  next  Sunday. 

"  You  know  Mis'  Humble?    An'  how 


192  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

thet  she's  tried  to  disbelieve  in  everything 
sence  she  had  that  trouble  ?  Well,  it 
'pears  that  something  happened  to  soften 
her  heart.  I  believe  that  her  run-away 
son,  who  she  worshipped,  had  wrote  a  lov- 
in'  letter  to  her  all  the  way  from  Injy, 
sayin'  as  how't  he  was  comin'  back  to  ask 
her  to  forgive  him  fur  breakin'  uv  all  their 
hearts. 

"  An'  Mis'  Humble,  she  was  that  happy . 
that    she  wanted    to  go  into  church  an' 
kneel  down  an'  whisper  out  her  thanks 
fur  this   great  joy  that  was  comin'.     So, 
the  very  next  mornin',  bein'  Sunday,  sfye 
put  on  her  bunnit  an'  took  her  Bible,  an' 
went  over  into  the  Methodist  church  an' 
walked  up  the  aisle  an'  knelt  down  into 
the  very  forredest  pew  an'  begun  prayin' 
in  her  heart  over  the  joy  that  was  come  into 
her  life.     When  the  usher — a  new  man 
what  didn't  know  her — went  up  an'  teched 
her  shoulder  and  says,  says  he  : 
"  '  This  pew  is  rented,  ma'am.'' 
"  Mis'1  Humble  she  looked  at  him  an' 


Tompkin's  Corner.  193 

then  got  up,  slow-like,  an'  took  her  Bible 
an'  umberell  an'  walked  straight  down  the 
aisle,  past  the  usher,  who  was  a-trying  to 
show  her  into  a  unrented  pew  at  the  back, 
straight  out  uv  the  church  door  an'  over 
into  the  Unitarian  church  across  the 
road, — that  church  where  they  don't  set  so 
much  store  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  where 
their  seats  is  really  free. 

"  Hverybody  was  scairt  nigh  about  to 
death.  Mis'  Humble  is  real  desirable  fur 
any  church.  An'  to  let  her  slip  through 
their  fingers  that  way  was  pretty  bad 
policy.  So,  the  leadin'  members,  an'  the 
parson,  they  all  called  onto  her  durin'  the 
week.  An'  they  said  that  'twas  the  fault 
of  the  new  man.  That  he  wouldn't  a-done 
it  ef  he'd  a-knowed  who  she  was  ! 

"  But  Mis'  Humble  jest  said  to  them 
that  they  was  only  makin'  uv  the  matter 
wuss  by  their  excusin'  uv  it.  That  the 
poorest  woman  in  all  Tompkins  Corners 
needed  a  chance  to  pray  in  the  Lord's 
house  jest  as  much  as  she  did.  An'  that 
'3 


194  Elvira  Hopkins  of 

she'd  made  tip  her  mind  to  go  to  a  church 
that  was  really  like  the  great  God — no 
respecter  of  pussons." 

I  didn't  have  nothing  to  say,  I  was  that 
beat  out  and  weak  at  the  heart  over  what 
I'd  hearn.  And  Martha  Ann  she  didn't 
have  nothing  to  say  for  quite  a  spell. 
She  rocked  back'ards  and  for' wards,  and 
back'ards  and  forwards,  real  swift-like. 
Then  she  stopped  all  of  a  sudden,  and 
says,  says  she  : 

"  I've  been  mighty  took  with  some  of 
the  names  to  the  churches  here.  '  The 
Church  of  the  Messiah/  '  The  Church  of 
the  Redeemer,'  an'  sech  like.  But  arter 
gittin'  that  letter  uv  Melviny's,  an'  readin' 
uv  it,  an'  thinkin'  uv  my  own  beloved 
little  place  uv  worship — 'way  off  up  into 
the  little  country  village,  it  seems  to  me 
that  'stid  uv  it's  bein'  the  House  uv  the 
Lord,  it's  got  to  be  simply  an'  only  *  The 
Church  of  the  Pew-Holder.'  "  j 

And  my  own  heart  growed  heavier. 
For,  in  visiting  'round  'mong  them  as 


Tompkin's  Corner.  195 

needs  a  comfortin'  word  occasional,  an'  a 
little  money  slipped  into  their  hands  on 
the  sly,  an'  a  few  quiet  unbeknownst 
things  done  for  'em  oncet  in  a  while,  I'd 
found  out  how  some  of  them  hankered 
arter  the  church  services,  an'  how  glad 
they  was  when  the  seats  was  all  free — no 
ushers  an'  nobody  to  pester  'em,  'less 
they  wanted  to  be  took  to  a  seat.  They 
could  come  in  and  go  and  set  wheresom- 
ever  they  wanted  to. 

I  thought  of  them,  and  was  real  sorry. 
It  'pears  like  as  if  I  shall  never  get 
through  having  to  ponder  onto  real  hard 
and  troublesome  sums. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

ELVIRA  HOPKINS. 

From  Tompkins  Corners. 


,C  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000126243     5 


